The Unspeakable Aftermath
by Emmie Rose
Summary: Five years out of Hogwarts and everyone in Kaylie Scott's life has their lives together. Well, everyone except her boyfriend James, that is. But everyone has got to grow up sometime...right? Sequel to The Children of Unspeakables.
1. Chapter 1

"Right, where do you want your books?"

I gazed around the vast empty space that would soon be our living room and frowned. Do I want the bookcases by the window where I'd get natural light to read by or by the fireplace where it's more cozy?

"I love that you're really contemplating this here, but the box is getting rather heavy, Kay," James grunted from the doorway. I blinked at him, shocked that he was even carrying it in the first place.

"Pet-there's this really brilliant thing we possess called magic. Why aren't you using your wand?"

James frowned and hoisted the box a bit in his arms, shifting uncomfortably between feet.

"Well I just kind of grabbed it and at this point my wand is in my back pocket. It's a bit late to grab it now, yeah? So decide where you want them because I'm honestly about to drop them."

"I swear," I muttered, grabbing my own wand out of the back pocket of my jeans and flicking it at the box. "There."

"Thank Merlin. I swear some of those books are heavier than a hippogriff," James muttered, shaking out his palms and turning to head back down the stairs. I hovered the box to the window and walked over to plop down on top of it. The room seemed so much bigger now that the previous occupant had removed all their stuff. It doesn't seem that the furniture James and I have will fill it.

"You took the couch!" Kent exclaimed, hurrying into the room and setting the box that held our living room furniture by the door. "What the hell am I going to sit on now?"

"I picked out that couch when we first got the flat, Kent! It's a nice couch," I shrugged. "I'm sure you'll survive."

"It's not fair! I get to live in the crap flat and you two move into the nice new posh one _and _you take my couch," Kent declared, pulling the shrunk couch out of the box.

"Why don't we take it to a vote?" James announced, floating our box of bedroom furniture on the floor next to the other box. "All in favor of Kaylie and I getting the couch?"

James and I fisted our hands in the air while Kent pouted. I beamed proudly and summoned the couch from his hands.

"Two against one! We win!" I exclaimed, brandishing it smugly.

"That's how it always goes! Five years out of school and I still get bloody outvoted by you two!" Kent snapped. "Happy fucking birthday to me."

"My birthday too," I pointed out beginning to unpack all the furniture and place their miniature forms where I wanted them around the room. "You should be happy! With James and I out of your hair you've got a bachelor pad all your own. I mean you're only twenty two once-let your hair down! Especially because now I don't have to hear it through those paper thin walls."

"That was mostly you two," Kent frowned but turned on his heel and headed down the stairs.

"Can I just get him a couch for his birthday?" James questioned with a small wrinkle of his nose. "I mean he does have to shoulder rent on his own now."

"James," I sighed. "Our rent is twice as much. I mean we can hardly afford it on your salary at the shop and Kent and I still haven't even touched the Department of Mysteries yet. We're still office clerks. We can't afford to buy him a couch for his birthday. We've got this rent now and we've got to save to get Cameron and Dom a wedding gift. Mum has a great futon that's just sitting in the attic and I paid for most of this couch in the first place."

"These are all true points," James shrugged, nudging the coffee table over an inch with his toe. "It's just going to be weird not living with him, you know? I mean I've lived with him for eleven years. It's just going to be strange not having him around as much. I know everything about the lad. His sleeping habits. How he takes his tea. The birthmark on his left buttock. Which by the way you have on your right. Twins!"

I self consciously placed a hand over my backside and frowned a bit.

"Probably more I want to know about my brother," I added thoughtfully, but walked over to James nonetheless. "No, I take that back. Probably more I want _you_ to know about my brother."

James wrapped his arms around my shoulders and comfortably placed his chin on the top of my head.

"But your birthmark is far cuter."

"James, are you still fussing about moving in together without Kent? I thought we agreed that it was the right step for us? I mean we've been together for six years. We have to cut the cord when it comes to Kent at some point, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," James declared, pulling away to look me in the eye. "You're right, as always. I'm ready to do whatever makes you happy, Kay."

"I've decided!" Kent exclaimed, starting to pull tiny cardboard boxes out of his pockets.

"Decided what?" I questioned, frowning at the boxes and enlarging them again. He better not have broken anything or I'll kill him.

"Decided what I'm giving you for your birthday," Kent declared, dusting off his hands.

"You haven't even gotten me a present yet?"

"Kaylie," Kent scoffed. "Honestly. This is me. King of last minute. Anyways, I've decided I'm giving you the couch for our birthday. That and my help of moving you in. Now-you probably want this box, Kay."

I caught the box he tossed at me and enlarged it a bit so I could read the writing.

_Kaylie's Clothes._

"You mean I can't wear this out tonight?" I questioned, holding my arms out and modeling one of James' old Quidditch jerseys and a pair of my holier jeans.

"If you want, but Vic might kill you," Kent snorted.

"I have a three year old and I still dress better then you!" James declared, bringing his voice to a high falsetto and brandishing a finger at me. "If I was able to drag myself out tonight then you should make more of an effort to look nice."

"Thanks but I have an outfit in my bag. A girl doesn't turn twenty-two twice," I shrugged, setting the box aside and beginning to engorge our furniture to normal size. "Now you two do the kitchen and the guest room and I'll go do the bedroom."

"Don't need to be so bossy," Kent declared as I grabbed a few boxes.

"Someone has to be!" I shouted back, kicking open the door and enlarging the boxes a bit so I could pull out the furniture. I began to place the bed and night tables, banishing the boxes of clothes to the walk in closet to be unpacked later, and propping the mattress against the wall for when it is enlarged. With a flick of my wand all the basics were normal sized and exactly where they were supposed to be. Right, the boys can handle the rest of the furniture and everything else can be unpacked tomorrow. I glanced at my watch and frowned. Lizzie was supposed to arrive by Port Key in twenty minutes-just enough time to shower.

"James! I'm going to hop into the shower, okay? Lizzie should ring soon!"

"Can I join you?!" came his reply, which was shortly followed by a loud thud which I assumed was Kent hitting him with something. "I mean, I'll ask that when Kent leaves."

I rolled my eyes and felt the desire that was still present no matter how much time has passed pool in my stomach. Grabbing my bag, which I placed on the floor by the door, I pulled out the dress I was planning on wearing tonight. A little souvenir from when Victoire and I went out to get Violet some new play clothes. A nude and mint body-con dress with textured detailing and a heart-shaped bodice that I planned to dress down with knee high gray boots and a jean jacket. Since I bought it with Victoire she won't nag me about being underdressed and it's just sexy enough for a night out.

It was nice being stable. Having a job you've grown to love, even if it doesn't necessarily challenge you all that much. Moving into a new flat with your boyfriend. Going to dinner with a few friends on your birthday. Who know that this is what it'd be like being a proper adult.

* * *

**Kent**

* * *

"To twenty-two! May you two have a year as fruitful as my life has been at twenty-two thus far!" James exclaimed, holding up a shot glass of firewhiskey. Kaylie, Lizzie, and I raised them in agreement and we all downed them at the same time, all of us pulling the same face as the alcohol hit our throats.

"Euchk," Kaylie groaned, shaking her head a bit. "Firewhiskey is not fun. Not fun at all."

"And tequila is?" I pointed out, referring to the going away party we through for Lizzie before she went of for Spain. Lizzie burst out laughing and snapped her fingers in a spicy gesture.

"Olé! That hangover must've been a fun one. Last _I_ remember was you in the bathtub, Kay," she snorted, pushing another shot her direction. "Care to try to get there again, birthday girl?"

"Traveling has corrupted you!" Kaylie declared, pouring half of it into the empty glass and handing it to her. The girls shot it back and grimaced.

"I'm missing the shots?!" Fred shouted, winding through the bar with his hand firmly clasped around Adder's.

"I see you're on again this week, you two," James declared, pointing at them.

"It's because he must not have proposed this week," Kaylie snorted, her cheeks slightly red.

"Oh! That reminds me!" Fred exclaimed, whipping a small velvet box out of his pocket and bending down on one knee in front of Adder, who immediately stiffened. "Adder, my sweet-"

"Will you put that fucking thing away, Weasley!" Adder exclaimed, slapping him quickly upside the head. "I'll walk out, I swear."

"Now, now," Fred tsked, but pocketing the ring anyways, "that's what you did last week."

"You're absolutely disgusting," Adder snapped but slapped his arse real quick and slid into the booth.

"Where's everyone else then?" Fred questioned, raising his voice slightly above the music.

"Lou is off work," James declared, checking his watch. "He should be here any minute and smelling of dust."

"I don't smell of dust," Louis declared, sidling up and grabbing a few chips from the center of the table. "I smell of books."

"It's a lovely smell, Lou. Like you're eighty," Dominique declared from right behind him. "Didn't one of your co-workers die of old age this week or something? You're like the youngest in the department by a century."

"Yes-it was quite tragic." Louis declared with a slight smile. "But I did get promoted."

"As a _historian_," Vic snorted sarcastically, rounding up the party. "Congrats."

"Hey! If it wasn't for me Violent won't have updated text books by the time _she_ gets to Hogwarts," Louis argued.

"Yes," I laughed. "We get it. You have the world's most boring job. Take a shot, you win."

"What does your ballerina think of your job, Lou?" Lizzie questioned around a sip of her lager. The table groaned and Kaylie slowly shook her head.

"We're not supposed to bring up Elena," Kay repeated, giving Louis a small smile.

"We're on an indefinite break," Louis stated with a small sigh. "She just joined the traveling company for the Royal Ballet and we agreed that it wouldn't be logical to try and keep up long distance standards. When she settles back down we'll discuss our next steps."

"So then you're not _really _broken up then," Lizzie put in happily.

"No we are."

"But you said you're on a break?"

"What's the difference," Louis questioned, running his finger around the ring of his glass.

"Well you obviously still care for each other-I mean that doesn't mean you're completely broken up. You're kinda like half way broken up."

"No we are-you can't be halfway broken up. You either are or you aren't," Louis argued. "There's black or white. No gray."

"Is there ever any gray with you?" Victoire snorted.

"Wanna take a shot every time Louis brings up Elena?" Fred hissed in Adder and I's direction. I stifled a laugh but the two of us readily agreed. We love Louis but it's been two months since _he_ made the decision for them to take a break. We can only play pity so long. We love Elena and know as soon as she's back they'll probably be at it again.

"So how's the new flat, Kaylie?" Vic questioned, accepting the beer that James handed her.

"Brilliant," Kaylie declared, grabbing James' hand. He smiled at her fondly and placed a kiss on her forehead. "All the furniture is in we just need to unpack everything else. Anyone care to volunteer tomorrow?"

Everyone made themselves distinctly busy with their drinks. Cameron waded up to the table with two pitchers of lager in his hands.

"I come bearing drinks. It's not a party until someone gets smashed," he announced grandly. "That goes double for you two, it is your birthday and the drinks are on us all night."

"I'm willing to get pissed and wander home alone. I yet to have anybody to be annoyed with by my middle of the night stumblings," I declared, holding out my glass to him.

"You have a spare room?!" Lizzie exclaimed. "I'll totally take the spare. I was going to move back in with Mum and Dad but you know…who wants to do that? It'll only be for a year and then I leave again. I'll pay!"

"Flatmate?" I exclaimed excitedly-the mere prospect of splitting the rent more worthwhile then just the prospect of Lizzie's company.

"Flatmate!" Lizzie echoed, clinking her glass against mine.

"Can we go dance or something? This is my first night, in a month, without food on my frock and my hair brushed. I'm going to convulse if I don't get culture in me soon," Victoire questioned, jumping up and bumping hips with Cameron who took her hand and twirled her.

"I have no rhythm unless Ellie is there," Louis pointed out with another small sigh.

"BOTTOMS UP!" Fred exclaimed, pointing to me and Adder. We quickly downed the last of the shots on the table.

"We need more hard liquor," Fred pointed out, grabbing James round the arm and forcing him out of the booth, knocking over Lizzie and Dominique in the process.

"So James warming round to the idea of just the two of you?" Vic questioned, obviously abandoning the idea of dancing, leaning into Kaylie.

"I think so. He said today that he wants to make me happy," she shrugged, sipping pensively on her drink. I gave her a confused look and she shrugged again.

"_You_ having second thoughts?" I whispered, poking her in the shoulder. She gave me a perturbed look.

"No! Not at all," she declared, glancing over at the bar where James was attempting to balance a mixed drink on his head. A random person knocked into him and it went careening to the floor. Fred placed a hand on his forehead as James cleaned up the mess with a sweep of his wand. She frowned slightly. "I just feel like I'm forcing him."

"You're not," I declared with a small shake of my head. "He wants to. Trust me, he's talked to me about it."

"I'm just glad that we're finally moving on to a new step in our relationship," Kaylie declared happily. "It was getting a bit stale."

"What it's like to be in love," Vic announced. "I'm sure everything will just fall in to place now."

"We sure hope so," I snorted. "It's about time that we start a new phase in life."

* * *

**Kaylie**

* * *

"And that's what I call a successful birthday," James exclaimed, slipping the key into our new flat.

"I would have to agree," I declared. I was just the perfect amount of tipsy and full of good vibes from a lovely night out. "And I'm really happy that Lizzie is moving into the flat with Kent. He's not one to live alone."

"That did work out rather nicely," James declared, throwing out an arm before I could step into the entryway. "Wait, I think there's a tradition that goes with this."

"What are you-"

But before I could finish, James had me around the knees and was cradling me marriage style. I felt a giggle rise up in my throat.

"Isn't this a married tradition?"

"Well I've never been one to follow traditions exactly," James shrugged, sweeping through the rooms and to our bedroom. He kicked open the door and tossed me on the bed, jumping in next to me. "Plus I couldn't give up an opportunity to jump into a bed with you."

"You get to do that every night," I pointed out with a small smile.

"Then I must be a lucky man," he declared giddily. "But I also have a gift for you."

"A birthday gift? I thought we agreed the apartment was enough?" I questioned, pushing myself upright against the headboard.

"I'm just an above and beyond kinda of bloke," James laughed, his voice drifting out of the closet. There was an errant curse and the noise of one of the boxes being upended.

"JAMES! Don't make a mess," I commanded.

"Yes, I'm aware of your neat-freak standards," he laughed, popping his head out. "It's all going to be put away tomorrow. Of course, you're not going to color code my side of the closet so don't even think about it."

I rolled my eyes, well planning to get my way in the end, and slid out of bed to slip out of my dress and boots.

"Bring me a shirt too?" I called, pulling open the cardboard box with our bedding so I could at least get a quilt. There was a muffled reply. He emerged a few moments later with one of his t-shirts clutched in his hand and a small silver box in the other.

"Well if we're stripping down," he declared with the raise of an eyebrow. He ignored my eye roll and pulled off his Henley and jeans before bouncing on the bed. "C'mere."

I tossed the quilt on the bed and went to grab the t-shirt but James pulled at my wrist.

"Just open it as is," he declared cheekily. "Present for you, present for me."

I gave a small snort of amusement but tossed my chest length hair over my shoulder and grabbed the box from his palm. Crossing my legs I carefully undid the wrapping paper, unfolding all the creases in the achingly slow way that I knew drove James crazy. There in my palm sat a simple hinged leather box. Exactly like the one Fred carried around in his pocket at all times in case of the off chance of Adder saying 'yes' one of these days. A box the exact size and shape of those that hold engagement rings.

Is that why he carried me over the threshold? Is that what he and Kent talked about? I mean I'm almost positive James would go to Kent and ask his permission. Did Kent have any twinkle in his eye when we spoke about it at the party? Were we ready for this? Moving in together was one thing but fiscally I'm not sure we were ready. I looked up at James. His eyes were wide and eager-huge brown pools that I always just wanted to swim in. But just as I was about to flip open the lid there was a sharp tap at the window. I looked over my shoulder and bit my lip.

"Who would send an owl at this hour?" James questioned, climbing out of bed and sliding open the sill. The owl dropped a thick envelope in his palm and took off into the night. "It's for you. Think it's a birthday card?"

"I don't know," I declared, taking it from his out stretched hand and flipping it over. Oh, work. I slid the official Unspeakable seal open and pulled out the letter-quickly scanning it and feeling my hands begin to shake.

_Dear Miss Scott,_

_ First of all, a very happy birthday to you and your brother. _

_ We are sorry to contact you at such a late hour but it has come time that we require you and your brother to use your special capabilities. Therefore we are very happy to inform you that you have both been promoted to the Department Level. _

_ We expect you to be at the office promptly at ten am to be debriefed. _

_ Good evening and welcome to The Team,_

_ Griselda Rotham_

_ Assistant Head of Department of Mysteries_

"James," I declared, shaking out the letter. "Kent and I have just been promoted! We're no longer office clerks but actually get to utilize our training!"

He grabbed the letter and quickly scanned it with a grin growing on his face.

"You're a top deal now!" he announced, grabbing me round the middle and pulling me on top of him. "I knew it was only a matter of time! I wonder what your top secret assignment will be?"

"I can't fathom it. We've been trying to wheedle it out of Mum for years. I mean if Griselda is contacting us it must be big. She's right under Mum," I answered, shaking my head slightly.

"Well what a perfect time to open your present," he replied, grabbing the box and holding it between us. I reached up and fingered the velvet. A ring I could handle now. With this promotion comes a pay raise and I don't need to be as worried about money as before. And I love James more than anything. I could get married. I mean it's a weird concept to wrap your mind around but if you think about it James and I were practically married as it was. But as James snapped open the box the visions of what our wedding would be like faded from my mind.

Nestled on the little pillow was the most perfect pair of pearl earrings I've ever seen. Well, perfect and expensive but I just got a promotion so I' not as worried about the cost as I would've been fifteen minutes ago. I held my breath as James sat up and gave me a minute hurt look. He must've seen my face fall involuntarily.

"Do you not like them? I mean Victoire said you would when I showed them to her last week, but if you don't I can always return them?"

"No James!" I declared, taking the earrings out of the box and pushing them through my ears. "They're beautiful. Just very unexpected."

James grinned then, fingering one of the studs.

"I surprised you, didn't I?" he questioned, burying his face into my neck and peppering kisses there. "Nothing is too good for the girl I love."

"You most definitely did," I stated, pulling his face up so I could kiss him. It wasn't a ring, but I still had James. We were in love. We were finally living together on our own. We were finally stepping forward with our future.

* * *

**A/A: Ohmygod, I must be crazy. Not hours after I close _Pirouettes and Transfiguration_ do I start a new story. I blame my sister, Kenzie. But then again without her this story wouldn't be happening. She's the funny one of the two of us so a lot of the one line zingers are by her magnificent brain. We have tons of scenes and actually a bunch of ideas to add to _Snapshots_. Anyways, hopefully I'll get a new chapter up for this in a bit but Kenzie is at camp for a week so it might be slow posting. But I gave you three today so you can suck it. **

**Love you all!**

**Emmie Rose**


	2. Chapter 2

"Thanks for shopping at Weasley's Wizard's Wheezes, where every purchase is a laugh," I declared, closing the register with a sharp flick of my wrist. I cracked my knuckles and grabbed my quill so I could turn back to my well weathered prototype notebook. It was a slow morning in the shop, especially for a Saturday. It left me plenty of time to slack off and sketch out a new idea.

That's what I liked about being just a sales clerk at the shop. I was free to have options. I didn't have to pin myself down. I didn't have to meet higher expectations. I made my money and I did it without thought. I mean it wasn't the best money but I picked up a few extra galleons by selling Uncle George a prototype here and there. That was enough for me.

I flipped a page and frowned at the drawing there, jotting down a few notes in the margin. No, it's not going to work.

"Hey guys, I'm going to take my break. I've got a grueling potions essay that's due first day of term that I want to get started," Martin declared, taking off his apron and hanging it on the hook.

"Why do you get to take your break now?" Lauren questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. "I've got the same essay to do."

"Because I said it first. See you in fifteen," Martin snorted. Lauren gave me an insulted look and I shrugged.

"Don't look at me. I'm not in charge," I laughed, tossing my quill on the counter and hopping over the barrier. I took my wand and began to continue siphoning off the dust that Martin hadn't quite got. I glanced at my watch. Kaylie and Kent would've been at their new job for three hours now. Maybe I'll cook a nice meal for the two of us for when she gets home? I mean she'll be hungry and then she won't have to make herself food. I'll have to stop by the store though. I walked back to the counter and pulled my sketch towards me. I wasn't going to figure this one out on my own and I didn't have Kent around to hash it out with me.

"Uncle George," I shouted, pushing my notebook back and frowning at it. "Wanna look at this?"

"Look at what, James?" Uncle George questioned, pushing out of the back room with an armful of boxes that I was probably going to have to stock. I motioned to the notebook that had a prototype sketched out. I was missing something. It wasn't going to sell. I mean it was an okay idea but there was an element missing in it. No girl is going to want to have to do a three step process in order to make high heels comfortable. It's too much. But I couldn't figure out how to simplify it.

"It's a bit of a process," Uncle George declared, reading over the page.

"I know but I can't think of how to combine it without making one of the steps really unbalanced. I'm afraid it's going to be really unstable and wind up exploding."

"James," Uncle George sighed, pushing the notebook aside and motioning for Lauren, a sixth year in Hogwarts that was working in the branch for the summer, to come on over. "Can I talk to you in the back for a moment?"

"Why?" I questioned, following him and settling in one of the chairs. There was a new shipment of Pygmy Puffs in the corner-the new 'House Pride' breed. They squeaked and squealed when we walked into the room.

"I've just been talking with Fred," Uncle George started, pulling out some papers and setting them in front of me. They were a list of my developed products that were in the store and the amount they've made over the last year. "He pointed this out. Those are some really impressive numbers, James."

"I don't really think about the numbers. I just like the ideas," I shrugged.

"I think that they can be more then just ideas," Uncle George stated. "I mean you can start your own line. You don't have to be a sales clerk anymore. I want to offer you a position as a developer. Put your name on your products and actually start taking royalties for them. It's about time you make more money for yourself."

I blinked. My own _line_? But what happens if it goes wrong? I would be responsible for that. It's one thing to come up with an idea once in a while but to actually have to come up with enough products to make a line is a bit more then I want to chew right now.

"You don't look too sold," Uncle George sighed.

"It's not that I want to stop coming up with ideas, Uncle George. It's just that I don't think I have enough in me to come up with a whole line. I mean that's a lot of work," I replied hesitantly.

"And you don't want more responsibility around here? You want to stay on the floor and make that salary?" Uncle George questioned. I nodded and an unreadable look crossed his face. It was almost disappointment. But I mean there's no reason for him to be disappointed in me. It's my decision what I want to do with my life and I don't want to take on more responsibility right now. I just moved into a new place. Kaylie just got a new position. We didn't need to take on more in our lives right now because we're perfectly fine the way we are.

* * *

**Kaylie**

* * *

"Are you scared?" I questioned suddenly. Kent gave me a bewildered look and cocked his head to the side. He shifted a bit on the stone benches that surrounds the dais and frowned. It looked ominous. I mean it was called The Death Chamber for Merlin's sake. The stone archway below us seemed like it was going to fall apart if we touched it and whispers drifted out, sending shivers down my spine. "I mean just the voices are enough to give me goosebumps."

"I think I'm still in shock," Kent answered finally. "I wish they would stop saying my name, though. That's a bit unsettling."

"Oh, so you can hear them," Mum exclaimed from the door at the top of the benches. She and Griselda carefully picked their way down the seats until they were at our level.

"You can't?" I questioned with a small air of surprise.

"No dear," Mum grinned, sitting down next to me. "Only some people can. We're not sure why others can but we're assuming it's your gift that allows you two to hear the voices and for them to call your names."

"Do you two have any questions about your position?" Griselda questioned, motioning to the thick files that we were sent here to read. I glanced down at mine and frowned. I flipped open the cover and ran a finger down a section I underlined. The Official Liaisons with Death. All those years of training. All those lessons and exercises. We just thought we were the key to reversing death but that wasn't it at all. That was just a simple place holder to prepare us for our true position as Unspeakbles. Something that could motivate us through all those hours of training.

"So we go in there?" Kent questioned, pointing down to the archway.

"You're the only two that can," Mum sighed, but gave us a small smile. "I know this seems like a big step but you're ready. And weren't you just pestering me last week, Kay? About how being an office clerk wasn't challenging you?"

"Yes, but gathering intel from the dead," Kent put in. "What's that going to get us?"

"Information. You know that's what Unspeakables do. Discover the information and ultimately the secrets behind magic. You can be the answers to questions that save lives. You could cure the tortured insanity back to their right minds. You could find the answer to lycanthropy. We believe the possibilities could be endless," Griselda declared.

"But we do have some things to discuss with you before you take your first trip beyond the veil," Mum stated, opening our files and grabbing a long piece of parchment from the back. "I know that James has always been a part of what you do but it's come to the point where he can't know about the exact details here."

"We can't tell him about this position?" Kent questioned hesitantly.

"No. Nobody that's not an Unspeakable can know," Mum replied sadly. "I know that it's hard. We all have been there, having to keep secrets from our family and our friends, but its a part of the job."

"But he's James," I pointed out. "We tell each other everything. He's never been like everyone else."

"It's just a part of growing up, dear. It's not safe for him to know. You and your brother knew this time would come when you decided for yourselves that you were going to pursue what you were born to do," Mum stated, tucking a strand of hair that fell out of my ponytail behind my ear. "And when you two sign this you'll be joining the ranks and promising to keep the secrets within the Department."

"Why would it be dangerous for him to know?" Kent questioned. "What would it hurt?"

"It bends the nature of the magic. We as Unspeakables are essentially Secret Keepers and when you thrust the secret beyond the department it weakens it, causes a fissure so to say. It makes him vulnerable because he doesn't have the protection of everyone else in the Department behind him."

"So is it like an Unbreakable Vow?" I asked, carefully reading the contract. "Do we die if we tell?"

"No-you don't die if you tell," Mum laughed. "It'll just make everything you work for and all the information you gather vulnerable and susceptible to being compromised. That is the last thing you want."

"Okay," I agreed, making Kent look at me wide eyed. "I see your point. I don't want James getting hurt. I mean what if _something_ follows us out of the veil. He couldn't protect himself from something he couldn't see. I think that it's for the best. I mean we knew that this was going to come up one of these days."

"Kaylie," Kent sighed. "It's not going to be easy."

"I didn't say it would be. Kent, James will understand. He knew as much as we did that this was going to happen one day," I shrugged. "I'm not happy about it but it's our job. Sometimes jobs have consequences."

"You're right," Kent groaned. "You're always right."

"I am the smart twin," I laughed, scanning the contract again. "And look there's a loophole."

"There most certainly is not," Griselda exclaimed taking the contract from my hands. "I drew it up myself."

I grabbed Kent's contract and pointed to the section I was referring to.

"See: _I hereby vow to uphold the secrets of The Department of Mysteries and all the information beyond that in my everyday conversations and to keep that information safe in terms of everyday life. _That's how I'd like to sign the contract if that's alright. When it says nothing about an emergency. If something were to happen to one of us James has a right to know about it and that's when the contract is valid to be broken. I won't sign it any other way."

Griselda looked like she was going to explode. Part of me always got the notion that she wasn't happy that we were so important to the department and her boss' kids. I think it made her feel slightly inferior. Mum on the other hand looked amused. Kent was frowning at the contract, mouthing the words as he read.

"How'd you get emergency situations out of that line?" he questioned with a bewildered look.

"Because, again, I'm the smart twin. Got a quill, Mum?"

* * *

"Who knew that being Death Liaisons would involve so much cardio?" Kent panted, pressing his forehead against the cool of the ice box and blindly grabbing two water goblets. "I'm so out of shape."

"_Your _out of shape?!" I squeaked, catching my reflection and grimacing. My face was as red as a tomato and the pieces of hair that weren't in the pony tail were plastered to my face. "I've never been in shape in my life. At least you were in school, what with Quidditch and stuff, but I can't even run a mile yet."

"You'll get there," Kent replied, giving me a watery smile. "You just need to alternate between running and walking until you build up endurance."

"Why do we have to be so in shape, again?" I whined, eyeing the weights we were supposed to be working next disdainfully.

"Because if you're not strong enough to ground yourself physically to the other realm you'll be lost," our personal trainer, an Unspeakable named Roland, sighed.

"How do you even know this. I thought we were the only ones that can even go there in the first place," I groaned when he handed me the weights. It was already far past the time that we usually go home. James was probably worried but we haven't even been given time to send word yet.

We went from signing the contracts straight into one of the longest debriefings of our lives. A quick moment for a late lunch, during which we went over schedules, and by then we'd had no idea what the rest of our day would entail. Personal check-ups from Healers and a new exercise plan. My biggest dream, obviously.

The only thing that was getting me through this was to get home, get into our nice clean flat, then slide into my nice clean bed and sleep. James said he'd start unpacking before I got home and I would help him as soon as I was off work. I was _really _looking forward to not coming home to boxes.

"Theory," Roland shrugged, plopping Kent down on the bench press. It looked intimidating and I hoped I would never have to do it.

"I'm not going to become all gross and muscly, am I?" I questioned, half-heartedly curling my bicep towards my chest.

"No-we just want to build your endurance up. Get you into peak physical shape. Unfortunately you have more to get towards then your brother," Roland replied, giving me an apologetic look. "Just give me ten more and you two can go home. You have mental training tomorrow and I'll be seeing you again on Monday."

A full hour later I finally stepped into the fireplace and floo'd home with a personal mantra of shower and then bed. As soon as I stepped out of our fireplace I froze. The living room was still filled with boxes.

Okay-he didn't quite get to here yet. I mean I can't ask him to do the _whole_ flat on his own. I wandered through the flat and into the kitchen. It was unpacked alright, but an absolute mess. Pots and pans filled the sink. There were scraps of food all over the counter and an unidentifiable spill by the ice box. I turned to the table which was set for two but with empty plates.

"Kaylie?"

"Kitchen," I groaned. "What's all this?"

"I thought you'd like dinner when you got home from work. It's in the fridge if you want any. But I didn't realize you'd be back from work at midnight," James replied, leaning against the doorway. "Funny how sending word works, really?"

"Don't you dare be mad at me! It goes both ways," I declared. "I didn't have a chance to send word myself. I didn't even get lunch without being talked at. I've just been worked to the bone and I was really looking forward to coming home to a clean flat. Is the bedroom at least done?"

"Most of it is," James shrugged.

"And by most you mean?"

"None," James sighed. "But I was cooking. I wanted you to have a hot meal when you got done with work. And I waited and then I fell asleep."

"Right, okay," I replied, letting out a sharp breath from my nose. "It just seems to slip your mind that you have a wand and it's rather easy to clean up after yourself."

James gave me an annoyed look and stomped back towards the bedroom. Yeah, just walk away. Real mature. I angrily flicked my wand at the sink. The pot jumped out of the sink and hit the floor with a loud bang. I let out a frustrated groan and started to steady my hand.

"Stop, Kay," James sighed from behind me. "Why don't you go shower? I don't know why you're all sweaty but I suppose you'll tell me why when you're through. I'll clean the kitchen. I'm sorry."

"It was just _such_ a long day," I groaned, plopping down in one of the kitchen chairs. I propped my head in my hands. "It was really-well it was interesting."

"Wanna tell me about it?" James questioned, his hands gently massaging my shoulders. "Why are you sweaty for one?"

"Well apparently my new job includes cardio," I groaned. "And weights."

"Why?! What are they having you do?" James snorted incredulously. "You're not having to become tag-team wrestlers are you? I mean I'm not opposed to the spandex. Maybe not Kent in spandex but you in spandex..."

"I can't tell you," I whispered.

"What was that, love?"

"I said I can't tell you," I admitted. James stopped massaging and walked around the table to sit across from me. "Signed a contract and everything."

"Why would you do something ridiculous like that?"

"Because it's my _job_ to, James," I exclaimed. "It's not _safe_ for you to know."

"Since when can't I handle myself?" James questioned.

"It's not about you being able to handle yourself, James, love. It's about there being things that you simply can't protect yourself from. It's the things we're working with, Kent and I. Only we can protect ourselves from it and it's come the time in our career where we have to do the unspeaking part of being an Unspeakable."

"You've never had to before," James stated in a small voice. "Not when you were doing all your training. Not in your job as an Unspeakable so far."

"Well, I was just an office clerk. I'm not an office clerk anymore," I admitted softly.

"Right," James declared with a small grimace. "I think I'm just going to go to bed, then."

I helplessly watched him leave the kitchen, the bedroom door closing with a soft click. I looked over at the sink and frowned. The kitchen was still unclean.


	3. Chapter 3

"So you're a big shot now?" Lizzie questioned from the kitchen.

"Lizzie," Kaylie laughed. "Nobody in our Department is necessarily a big shot. Well except for Mum and Griselda. We're all there for a reason. We all have projects we work on. I don't even know what the bloke sitting next to me at lunch is working on."

"But a promotion is good," Lizzie argued, followed by the sound of the oven opening. "So this is a fun dinner. I mean you and Kent remember what that word is, right? I understand work-trust me my hours suck sometimes, too. Especially when it's a night blooming plant and my hours reverse, but I hear Kent get home at one a.m. sometimes. Are they over working you? Is there any laws against unfair hours?"

"This is just until we're fully prepared. Both mentally and physically. Mum said it should be soon," Kaylie replied happily.

It better be soon. I was fully enjoying the physical stuff but the mental training was killing me. I'd come home with splitting headaches and my skull feeling like it's been cleaved in two. Kaylie on the other hand was the complete opposite. She was excelling in the mental preparations but was struggling with the physical training. I turned to James who was on the couch, frowning at a _Quidditch Monthly _issue. He hadn't said much since Lizzie and I arrived to have dinner with them. It was the first time I'd actually been able to see him since my birthday, two weeks ago.

"So how's the shop?" I questioned, propping my feet on the coffee table.

"Busy," James shrugged. "It's the middle of summer holidays. The shop is always busy."

"James," I groaned. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you freezing me out?"

"I'm not," James argued, turning back to his magazine. I sighed and rested my head against the back of the couch. I was surprised the living room still had some boxes in the corners. I'd expect Kaylie would've whipped James into unpacking everything by now. We may have been busy but James had plenty of time when he came home from work to do it. My eye fell on a small velvet box sitting on the mantle next to the Floo powder.

"What's that?" I spluttered, smacking James and pointing to it. James' eyes flicked to my line of sighed and he snorted.

"The box that Kaylie's birthday present came in. Why are you acting like it's a ghost?"

"Because it's a bloody ring box!"

"What?!" James crowed. "No it's not! They were earrings! Will you calm down, mate. Like I'd give her a ring...oh bloody hell!"

"What?" I questioned, my heart finally slowing down after the near shock of the thought of James proposing to Kaylie without informing me first.

"I just realized that's why she looked the way she did when she opened it. She probably thought I was bloody proposing," James declared. "Fuck-that sort of makes me a prick. But honestly, why would she even think that? I mean, marriage? Me? I'm not looking to get married! Marriage would be ridiculous right now. I mean, marriage is the end all to your life. I love Kaylie but I'm not ready for that yet."

"I wouldn't say that," I laughed. "But have you thought that Kay probably didn't feel that way?"

"Well we haven't really had time to talk about anything," James mumbled, throwing one of his hands in the air. "She's gone before I wake up and home after I'm already in bed."

"Maybe wait up?" I suggested meekly.

"Yeah, _you_ say that. You're with her. Looks like this promotion lost me my best mate _and_ my girlfriend," James snapped, tossing his magazine down and stalking off down the hall. One of the bedroom doors slammed and there was a small crash in the kitchen. I got up and peered in there curiously. Kaylie must've dropped a dish in surprise. I swept my wand at it, repairing the broken plate in a second.

"Thanks," Kaylie sighed, picking up the now whole plate from the ground. "What's gotten into him?"

"I think he feels a bit left out," I shrugged.

"Left out?" Lizzie questioned from where she was picking at the steaming roast on the counter. "Why would he feel left out? Because you all can't share everything anymore? That doesn't mean you're any less close."

"Well obviously," Kaylie groaned, sinking down into a kitchen chair. "But he doesn't see it that way."

"Did you think he was going to propose to you, Kay?" I questioned suddenly. Kaylie blinked at me in surprise. She raised a hand to her forehead but then shook her head.

"How the hell did you know that?" she squeaked. "I'm not open to you to read me."

"I saw the box and James put two and two together," I shrugged. "What's with you two?"

"I don't know!" Kaylie exploded. "We just keep fighting."

"What for?" Lizzie questioned.

"For things he doesn't do. For me getting home to late. We just fight," she sighed.

"Maybe you two need to go out tonight, just you two? I mean, just take some time for each other?" Lizzie suggested. "We'll stay here and drink your beer and eat your food."

"I think that's a brilliant idea. I'm pretty sure we only have bread and cheese back at our flat," I agreed. "Then I'll take lunch with James tomorrow to make up for being so busy. We'll eat and be out of here by the time you get back from being out."

"Are you sure?" Kaylie questioned weakly. "I mean we were supposed to be hanging out together."

"Go," Lizzie scoffed. "Have a nice time with James. We're all affected by his mood. Me more so since I've been doing some of my paperwork at the shop to keep him company. So think of it as helping me out."

Kaylie gave us a slight nod and made her way back towards the bedrooms. Lizzie and I eyed each other and she smiled.

"Wanna invite Troy over?" Lizzie questioned with a sly smile. It took me a second to place that Troy was the most recent guy she was seeing. She was playing the route of dating like I was. Nothing serious. Just trying different people out. Dating like normal. "I'm sure he has a bird friend he can bring along."

I grabbed two beers out of the fridge and tossed one to her, holding mine aloft.

"Sounds like a night well spent."

* * *

**James**

* * *

"It was really lovely of Mario to get us a table last minute," Kaylie declared, swinging our arms between us.

"Well he can't say no to the Potter charm," I declared, pulling her into my side and kissing the side of her head. Kaylie ducked her head and grinned, tucking her hair behind her ear. "This was a really nice suggestion, KayKay. I think it was _exactly_ what we needed and you look absolutely beautiful."

"It's just a camisole," Kaylie grinned but leaned over and kissed the corner of my mouth regardless, before glancing up the building at the floor our flat was. "Let's say we get upstairs?"

"And unpack a bit. You can sit and just tell me where everything goes," I declared, knowing just saying it would make her ecstatic. I see her face every time she looks at those boxes and I know I really should unpack the rest but I've just been wrapped up in this high heel product. It's easier to put it off. I mean we have all the stuff we need out, why put the rest away? She looked over at me and gave me a sly smile.

"I'm off tomorrow," she stated carefully, leaning around me to put the key in our lock. "Let's just do it then."

"You're putting off cleaning?" I declared with a slight raise of my eyebrows. I placed a hand on her forehead and the other on her cheek. "You feeling alright?"

"I've just learned, with age, that some things don't need to be cleaned _right _away," she sighed, pulling me into the living room.

"You mean you don't have to alphabetize your books anymore?" I teased, nodding over to the pile of books on the floor in front of the bookshelf.

"Oh, I didn't say that," Kaylie laughed, stopping at the junction between the kitchen and the hallway. "I'm just saying there's other things that can come first."

"Like what?" I questioned, stepping forward and putting my hands around her waist. She took a micro step back and peeled her top over her head, letting it dangle from one strap hooked over a finger. Glancing up at me through her lashes she looked down and examined herself. I felt my breath hitch a bit as I drank her in. She was practically spilling out of the bra. It only looked like half the size of what it usually covered, but that didn't matter because it was sheer to begin with.

"What would you like to do instead?"

"You seem to be doing a lot of physical activity lately. I think I need to check every inch of you for any signs of bruising," I scoffed, hoisting her up and over my shoulder. She let out a shriek of laughter. "I'll be sure to give you a thorough examination."

"I really need one. All those weights and running," Kaylie declared through her peals of laughter. I tossed her onto the bed and braced my weight so I was hovering over her, squinting my eyes critically.

"Now-did you know that the only way to check properly for bruising is through the lips," I announced. Kaylie widened her eyes and shook her head, biting down on her lower lip to hold in her laughter.

"I had no idea."

"Oh-age old study. Louis was telling me about it," I informed her.

"Oh for the love of Merlin," Kaylie snorted. "Don't bring up Louis right before we shag."

"Sorry," I giggled, bending down and placing my lips firmly on her neck. "I was just stating a fact."

"Not necessary," she declared, running her fingers through my hair. I kissed a trail down her neck as she began to unbutton the front of my shirt and planted a kiss on my shoulder. Kaylie's breathing picked up a bit. I carefully moved the strap of her bra off her shoulder and kissed there. Winding my arm around her back I quickly undid it, kissing my way around the front again and down her chest. She began to squirm now, pressing her pelvis against mine. I kept concentrating on her chest while unbuttoning her jeans with my other hand. She reached down, abandoning where she was kissing along my neck to pull her jeans off. I looked down in surprise and grinned.

"No knickers," I declared, grabbing her round the arse and hefting her hips up a bit.

"They're mostly packed still and the rest were dirty," she shrugged, stiffening slightly. I kissed the junction of her leg and her pelvis and she relaxed a bit.

"I'll do the laundry tomorrow," I declared, softly letting my lips roam her body. She arched her back a bit, a soft moan escaping her lips. "I'll do the dishes. I'll do the unpacking."

"Promises, promises, Potter," she replied between gasps.

"I really will," I stated, lifting my head a bit. Kaylie propped herself up on her elbows and raised her eyebrows.

"Okay," she nodded. "I believe you."

"Okay," I echoed, dropping her hips and crawling up next to her. She rolled on her side and leaned forward, pressing her lips against mine. "Let's not fight."

"We don't need to be fighting," she replied sadly. "I just need you to take more responsibility around here and with your life."

"I can be more responsible around here," I tried. "I just need you home more. I'm no good on my own."

"I'm trying, love," she sighed. "The training will be over soon and then my hours will be somewhat back to normal. Please, be patient. If you don't want to be home alone why don't you pick up more hours at the shop?"

"There's just only so many hours you can pick up," I groaned, propping my head up with one hand. "There's only so much a sales clerk gets."

"Well why don't you talk to George about doing something more! James you're so capable," Kaylie grinned, reaching over and clearing some hair out of my eyes. "Why don't you ask him if you can develop your own line?"

I froze. I hadn't told her that he offered me just that and that Fred had followed up, chiding me on a lost opportunity. Nobody seems to get that the thought of all that responsibility is crushing. The thought of failure was even worse. What if it didn't sell? What if it backfired? I didn't want to step up and take that responsibility because I wasn't ready to fail. Even moving out of the flat we shared with Kent was the same sort of feelings. It was jumping into the unknown. We could either sink or float.

I've been the top of everything my whole life. School was great. I was popular. Even if my pranks backfired they were still funny. I got by in marks because I didn't necessarily care if I failed there completely. I would always have a job. I would always have options, thanks to my family. So I had a great time. I met my best friends in the entire world. I met the love of my life. I flourished in school. Now five years later I didn't want to end that feeling because what's my life going to be like when it goes away? So I didn't bring it up. I merely shrugged and reached out to pull Kaylie close. She snuggled into my side, her fingers playing patterns on my bare chest.

"Just think about it? For me? I think that a little dose of responsibility will do you good," she stated simply.

"I'd do anything for you," I answered half-heartedly, bending down and connecting our lips. Kaylie smiled into the kiss, her fingers snaking down and unbuttoning the fly on my jeans. Helping her get them off, I rolled on my back and pulled her on top of me. It was a flurry now, hard kisses and desperate movements. I grabbed the back of her neck and held her face to mine as I guided our hips. "I love you."

"I love you too," Kaylie gasped, her fingernails digging into my back. "Oh Merlin, faster."

I held her close and rolled over so I was pressing her into the mattress. She hooked one leg around my waist and arched her back. Oh Merlin. I could tell she was getting close but so was I. Quickly I lowered my hand, making her buckle against me as I began to move it. She bit down against my shoulder as she began to spasm, triggering me to my own climax. I rolled back to my side, panting. Kaylie threw her hand out blindly patting until she found my forehead. Running her fingers through my hair a bit I could almost feel her smile.

"Fuck," I breathed, feeling my eyelids grow heavy. A good meal and a great shag is literally the best sleep medicine in the world. Someone should bottle it. "Remind me again why we don't do this every night?"

"Because you're always asleep," Kaylie teased. I rolled my eyes beneath my closed lids and grabbed Kaylie around the waist so I could tug her into me. She nestled in, pulling the covers over us both. This is what we needed. Just some time for _us_. No more fighting. No more senseless arguments. Things were as perfect as can be.

* * *

**Kaylie**

* * *

I woke up a few hours later and lay awake listening to the rise and fall of James' breathing. It was steady and strong with the small snores punctuating it every now and then. His sleep habits were as familiar to me as my own. I knew them probably better then I knew Kent's and he was my twin. It came from years of sharing a bed with him-whether it was my bed or his bed.

This was _our_ bed now. There were no pretenses of him just being with me in my bed anymore, like we did when the three of us shared an apartment, because it belonged to both of us. I remember trying to pick out this bed. James was so noncommittal. After our first trip out I cleaned the whole kitchen by hand because I was so freaked out that we were making the wrong choice to move in with just the two of us. Why else would he be so resistant? But then I realized that it wasn't the wrong choice. It was the right choice. It was the best choice for us. We've been dating since we were fifteen. It was time. James just didn't want to make the choice and I couldn't figure out why.

But after our conversation tonight, and his complete silence when I mentioned him going for a higher position, did I realize that he didn't like change. That's why he's so stuck where he is and is so adamant staying that way. It pains me because there's a bitter part inside of me that finds it immature, no matter how much I love him.

I heaved a sigh. I'm not getting back to sleep anytime soon. Carefully, I pulled James' arm from around my waist, pulled on James' boxers and my shirt, and padded my way into the living room. Organize. I need to organize. It clears my head and allows me to unwind. I flicked my wand at the lamps, lighting them low.

I grabbed the first stack of books on the ground and began to sort them by genre. Textbooks. Research books. Reading books. The reading books into genre. It was methodical. Then by size. Then those sizes alphabetically. It was simple and orderly. I may not be as high strung as I was when I was younger but some habits are hard to get rid of. Soon I was finished with the small stack on the floor. I got up and walked over to the corner where the rest of my book boxes were, pausing when I noticed the clutter on the mantle. Sitting in the center was the box that held my birthday present. My heart fluttered a bit.

Two weeks ago I thought I was going to get married. I carefully picked it off the mantle and turned it over in my hands. Two weeks ago I was perfectly okay with marrying James Sirius Potter.

"What're you doing up?"

I turned around and smiled slightly. James was still half asleep, pulling a fresh pair of boxers on his hips as he yawned. He slowly wiped his hand down his face and blinked at me for a second.

"I couldn't sleep," I admitted, pressing the box between my palms hard. "Thought I'd unpack some stuff."

"I, erm, realized why you were so surprised to see earrings," James stated suddenly.

"Oh?" I questioned, placing the box back on the mantle and grabbing a box of books. I pulled them out one by one and began to add them to my organized piles that I already made.

"KayKay, did you really think I was going to propose? I mean, we're so young. Marriage and kids just seems like the finial step in our lives. After that what do we have?"

"I wasn't expecting it when you pulled out the box but, yes, that was my initial reaction," I admitted. "I hadn't thought about it until then and it was a really nice thought when it did cross my mind. But, you don't agree with what I was thinking."

"Kaylie," James declared softly.

"No James," I smiled. "I get that it's a silly notion. But you know...the more I think about it the more I realize it wasn't the getting married part that I was getting all wrapped up in. It was the fact that you were taking a step forward for our future on your own. I still feel like I shoved you into this moving in together thing."

"You didn't," James argued.

"That's just how you make me feel. I love you, but I feel like you dragged your feet the whole way, never really making any decision for yourself." I rebutted. "I mean look at the flat. It's still in boxes. I feel like your _still_ dragging along with it. I'm sorry if this isn't what you intended but that's how it's starting to look. This is real, James, whether we keep the boxes packed or not."

* * *

**A/A: SOOOO! You all asked for this and I delivered but it's like nobody is reading it! I don't understand. I love you all anyways. Just let me know what you think. This is a hard story for me, frankly because a lot of what's going to happen hits really close to home. Not that you know what that is yet. Anywho! I also updated my shadow cast for both Kaylie and Dominique on my profile. Go check them out. I think they're better fits!**

**Hugs and Chocolate Frogs,**

**Emily**


	4. Chapter 4

"So, so, sorry I'm late!" I exclaimed, as I practically ran into the living room and plopped down on the couch.

"I wouldn't have been late if you made _me_ a bridesmaid," Lily spouted, not even looking up from where her hair was flipped completely in front of her face as she plaited random pieces.

"Will you stop being so dramatic, Lily!" Dominique exclaimed from where she was swathed in white. "I told you that it'd make the wedding parties uneven."

"Dramatic?! Dramatic! Here I am, withering away from unadulterated sadness because _my_ favorite cousin doesn't reciprocate the hierarchy that I've placed upon our family."

"Lily! Your hair will clash with the dress anyways!" Dominique added in frustration.

"Now I'm discriminated against for being a ginger! Well you'll be lucky if you get a scrap of coursework from me this term. That's right! I'm also going to convince everyone to boycott every essay you assign."

"Lily," Rose stated from where she was perched on the ottoman. "Don't you need people to actually like you for you to convince them to boycott?"

"Please," I scoffed, nudging her side with my toe. "People just don't understand Lily."

"Thank you. I suspect that Night Trolls have something to do with it as well," Lily declared, flopping backwards and nodding defiantly. "I've tried to bring it up to Melissa but she won't hear of it."

"Who's Melissa, now?" Rose questioned with a raise of her eyebrows.

"My best friend," Lily declared with a smart jut of her chin.

"You have a friend? Is she real?" Vic questioned from where she was trying to wrestle Violet, her four year old daughter, into her flower girl dress.

"Of course she's real and I do have friends, just not all of them are visible! I'm bringing her as a plus one to the wedding," Lily declared, hopping up as if this were the finial straw of the conversation. Instead of storming from the room she walked over to the corner and propped her head against the floor, raising her feet on the wall so she was balanced that way. "Now will you lot just be quiet for a second so I can mourn the tragedy of me being passed over as a bridesmaid in peace. For the record, you could've made me a flower girl, would've dominated at that!"

"Violet's the flower girl. You're too old." Dom muttered.

"At least I won't eat the petals! Well I will, on the Moon Harvest of Flowerfest. But I checked, your wedding is nowhere near that time!"

Dominique just blinked at her for a second before hefting a sigh and turning to me.

"Did you see Adder when you walked in?"

"She was sitting in the kitchen. I think Lily is a bit much for her," I offered, accepting Violet as she scrambled into my lap.

"Where Uncie James, Aunty Kay?" she questioned, resting her head on my shoulder.

"At home, lovely," I grinned, pecking her forehead.

"Kaylie," Fleur declared, holding out my dress. "Go try this on while I try to wrangle Adder into hers. She's worse then the child, I think."

"It's because it's not black, of course," I pointed out, taking my bridesmaid dress and depositing Violet back on the floor. Dominique followed me into the mud room and began to peel off her dress.

"So," she started, eyeing me from the corner of her eyes. "Why were you late? Not to be bridezilla but wedding's in two weeks, you know. You're usually the only bridesmaid I can count on to be actually on time as it is."

"I had dishes to do," I admitted. "Then laundry. Then some paperwork."

"Well why don't you make James do the dishes and the laundry?" Dominique snorted.

"Because I'm sick of asking a million times. I'm starting to become a nag about it and that's the last thing I want to do. It's easier to just do them myself, to be honest. I don't mind."

Dominique stared at me for a moment and I purposefully took my time slipping the strapless dress over my head. The lightweight silk chiffon flowed easily over my skin. It was the perfect bridesmaid dress because the sweetheart neckline, Grecian-inspired draped bodice, and delicately flowing skirt looked good on all of us and as much of us all loved Lily the coral color _would _admittedly look horrid with her hair.

"Will you quit staring at me?" I questioned finally. Dominique merely pressed her lips together and stalked out of the room, coming back a few moments later with Victoire in tow.

"Her and James are having problems," Dominique declared, pointing at me accusingly. I gave her an incredulous look. "What? You are! You don't need to say it exactly but you are."

"What's going on?" Victoire questioned, grabbing the pin holder and starting on the sides where my dress was a tad too big.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I just feel like I'm kinda hitting a brick wall with him. I feel like it might be sort of me becoming more of his mother then his girlfriend and it scares me."

"How so?" Vic questioned as Violet ran into the room and tugged on her Mum's jeans. "Violet baby, not now. Go pester Lily."

"No," Violet demanded, grabbing on Vic's legs and hanging in between them. Vic sighed but looked at me expectantly. I didn't say anything for a second, I just gave Dominique and Victoire a helpless look. I feel so naggy when I talk like this.

"It's been fine, mostly. I mean we haven't slept together in a while but that's mostly because I'm exhausted after we go out at night. We had a chat a few weeks ago about avoiding fights. I said I'd be around more once work calmed down and he said he'd do the dishes for me. That's all I wanted really. I just didn't know he was so messy and that it'd be much more then the dishes. I mean I knew he was messy, of course, but now that it's the two of us I feel bad that I blamed most of this stuff on Kent in the past."

But I did keep my end of the bargain. We closed our training and started working in the actual Death Chamber. I still have to get up earlier for physical training and Kent has to do extra mental training in the morning but now we no longer stay until way late. We get to go home and actually have dinner. Since we're both strong in our own area's they've started us out that way. Kent took his first trip into the veil just a week after James and I talked. He didn't go far but he went in.

_"Kaylie," Mum started, pressing her hands on my shoulders and taking a slight breath. "Are you centered?"_

_ "Yes, Mum," I grinned, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. I could tell she was nervous. I heard her pacing back and forth in her office when I was going to bring her tea this morning. I think she's hesitant for us to do this because we don't really know what's going to be there or what might happen to us. I don't think she wants us to do this anymore. "And we're going to be fine."_

_ "Yes, yes," Mum declared, patting me absentmindedly. "Of course you will be, why wouldn't you? Where's Kenneth? Go back to your place and we will begin." _

_ "With Roland," I declared, motioning over my shoulder and settling back within myself. I pressed my hands on my folded knees and took a deep breath, re-centering my mind. I pressed the calming fog to every corner of my brain and kept myself clear of all outside intrusions. It was the only way I would stay connected to Kent. It was the only way I _could_ stay connected to Kent. _

_ I transported myself to my nether space. I was no longer sitting cross legged in front of the dais but I was floating in my own personal bubble. And deep breath in and deep breath out. Suddenly Kent appeared there, in his own bubble, floating just ahead of me. _

_ "Got me?" Kent questioned hesitantly. _

_ "Always," I promised, letting our mental tether out a bit. Kent kept walking forward and I kept letting out more and more line for him to use. Suddenly it became taught and a shiver ran through my system. _

_ "Okay, I just stepped in," Kent announced with both fear and excitement coating his voice. _

_ "I can feel it. Remember, just until I can't hold you anymore," I warned, pressing my mind so I could give him more line. It was harder now that he was inside. Just those couple of inches made all the difference. It felt like the tether between us was steel instead of rubber now. I pressed a bit more, letting out an inch or so. _

_ "Kaylie, I don't see anything. It's just mist," Kent announced into my head. _

_ "Stuff it," I declared. "I'm trying not to lose you." _

_ "I'll exit. My muscles are on fire," Kent groaned. "This isn't like the practice sessions we did earlier this week at all."_

_ "Yeah, come out," I replied, knowing if I was actually speaking I'd be panting. "I can't hold you anymore." _

_ Kent's bubble moved closer towards me now until it just popped and he was out of my radar. I felt my mind collapse then and my eyes popped open. I felt like I'd mentally run a thousand miles. Kent was kneeling in front of me, drenched in sweat and shaking slightly, but he was smiling and the room was applauding. _

Since that first time, for about two weeks, we've been working a little bit each day and each day Kent gets a bit farther and our minds and endurance go up a little bit. I may be coming home at five every day but I still come home exhausted and as much as I try to give James attention, sometimes I just can't keep that promise. I get home and I have to write my report on exactly what Kent saw and what I experienced as his mortal tether and the fact that the apartment is a mess is just sort of disappointing. I turn around and I'm willing to give my time and my energy to go out and do what he wants, especially since it's often the opposite of what I'd rather do, but he doesn't give the same effort in return.

"I feel like I'm giving so much and he's not giving anymore," I admitted finally. Vic and Dominique exchanged a look. "He's just so much more to handle then I thought."

"Kaylie, you've been living with him for five years and you're just realizing he's a slob?" Victoire laughed.

"Well now I can't blame anything on Kent, can I? And we share a room and closet now so his stuff is with mine. But you know it's not the mess that I'm tired of. I can clean that. I love to clean. It's the fact that he doesn't want to take the responsibility to do it. It's the fact that he's not doing it because he knows it'll help me. It's like he lives in his own little world where my needs don't matter. I don't know when he changed and it breaks my heart because I love him so much."

"I don't think he changed, Kay," Vic admitted after a beat of silence. "I think you did."

"But I'm not doing _anything_ different," I exclaimed. "I'm treating him exactly how I always have. I'm not trying to start fights-really I'm not. I miss us arguing about stupid things. Now all we argue about are petty things around the apartment and it's just wearing me out."

"Well _you're_ not changing but your lives are. Kaylie, your relationship needs to change with your lives. You're life is changing. You're growing up. You're adapting but maybe he isn't and your relationship is taking a strain because of it. If James doesn't grow up soon you're going to out grow _him_," Dominique pointed out.

"Dom!" Victoire exclaimed. "A little harsh!"

"When have I ever been anything but blunt?" Dom sighed. "But seriously-everyone see's it. James has become severely less mature then you. I _really_ think you need to tell him all that you've told us Kaylie. About how him showing responsibility and cleaning up after himself a bit is more then you just being overtly anal about cleanliness. That it's him showing he cares and he's supporting you in this new step in your life and career. It's not too late for him to catch up with you, you just need to talk about it before it is."

* * *

**Kent**

* * *

"You really can't just come out tonight?" James questioned, flopping forward on my bed. He had originally went to flop onto his old bed but they'd taken it in the move for their second bedroom. I looked up and frowned at him from where I was flipping through my closet. I was trying to pick out a shirt when James floo'd in and barged into my room, discovering me in just jeans and holding a shirt in front of my chest. He gave me a funny look but immediately started badgering me about going out with him to a new pub because Kaylie bailed out. Something about wedding stuff with Dom.

"I _am_ going out tonight," I laughed. "Just not with you. Lizzie is setting me up with someone. Amanda. Liz says shes normal and cute, right up my alley."

"Weren't you dating someone last week? Tiffany or something?"

"Nah," I shrugged. "We broke up. She couldn't handle my charm."

"So you said something stupid?" James laughed.

"More like I forgot to call her after we slept together for the first time. I had a workout-not my fault," I declared with slight impatience. "I don't need someone so needy anyways."

"You stuck it in the crazy bird. You need to stop sticking it in the crazy birds," James pointed out. I paused for a second contemplating his statement, bristling slightly that he was pegging my taste in birds.

"Kaylie's crazy," I stated finally, shuddering slightly at the mental image that accompanied that statement. James frowned and rolled off the bed, stalking across the hall and into our shared bathroom.

"Okay," I stated, slowly following him out. "Just storm out. Do I dare ask what's up?"

"I'm not lately," came his reply from behind the closed door.

"Not _what_ lately?" I questioned hesitantly, already dreading the answer.

"Not, you know...with Kaylie. You tell me not to say things of this nature, so I don't but it's been almost a month and I'm dying," James shouted. I froze-okay. A problem. One that I don't really want to deal with but a problem none the less.

"A _month_," I whistled. "I mean you used to go at it like multiple times a week."

I can't believe I just said that.

"I can't believe you just said that!" came Lizzie's shout from her room.

"THIS ISN'T A CONVERSATION FOR YOU ELIZABETH!" James shouted, popping his head outside the door.

"Well can't really help it in this flat can I? Kent, just get dressed, you and I both know you don't want to have this conversation. I'm almost positive it's probably his fault," Lizzie sighed, coming outside and sitting against the hallway wall.

"I miss quiet Lizzie," James grumbled.

"Quiet Lizzie left the building at seventeen when she lost her virginity and the bloke broke her heart," Lizzie snorted.

"I remember that! You cursed him in the Great Hall at breakfast! I didn't know _he_ took your virginity," I exclaimed, recalling fondly that morning where Elizabeth Longbottom grew out of being a doormat. She was still probably the nicest person I know but she doesn't let people walk all over her anymore. "Neville was so confused."

"Yeah, he still hasn't caught on to that," Lizzie giggled. "Anyways, a month. Why?"

I turned back into my bedroom and pulled out a few more options, trying to keep the noise to a minimum so I could hear what was going on.

"I don't know! Things were great! Her and Kent's hours got normal and we started having dinner and going out again. But then by the time we get home and she does the routine cleaning of the apartment she's too tired and wants to just go to bed! I thought that that excuse was for married blokes! We're twenty-two! We're supposed to go out then come home and have an awesome shag."

"Why don't you just do the dishes more?" Lizzie sighed. "I do them here. Kent's always exhausted when he gets home from work. He gets around to the other stuff like cleaning out the fireplace and taking out the trash."

"I do them sometimes but when those are done she cleans the bathroom or something. I get that she's a neat-freak but I never really got the full force of it until it was just the two of us," James groaned.

"Well what about staying in? If you didn't go out then maybe she'd have more energy to shag?"

"She agrees to go out though. Kaylie's never been the type of girl to just sit at home. Why now?"

I bit my lip. Knowing Kaylie, she's agreeing to go out to make James happy. She's probably pushing herself to the limit to care for him and give him something he 'deserves'. She feels guilty about having to keep him out of the loop in our job so she's doing everything she can to show him that she's okay.

In his mind he's holding up his end of the bargain by doing the dishes but I don't know if that's the only thing she wanted from that in the first place and I wasn't about to bring it up. James would probably just say I was taking her side. I've found when they get upset with each other to just not take sides. It's so much easier that way. I've been following this philosophy my whole life and it's never led me astray. It's probably just building up to one of those times where they just don't speak for a day and then apologize and get all gushy again. It happens like once a year. I mean, Merlin forbid, they're finally out of their 'Honeymoon' phase. It's been six years overdue. It probably only took getting me out of the picture to set it into effect. They no longer had me as mediator nor a scapegoat for some of the stuff happening around the flat.

"Just give her time, James. She loves you, we all know that. Their job-it's a right twit, but even I can see that it's getting easier on them. Kent doesn't come home and sleep for hours anymore," Lizzie declared. "It'll take a little bit more but she'll slowly become less tired. Why don't you go home and bake her some brownies or something? Let her have a night where you two don't have to go out. You know she kills for chocolate. Bake them, clean that kitchen till it sparkles, and she'll probably eat a brownie right off your prick."

Okay, that is definitely all I need to hear. I'm probably mentally scarred by that image alone. I kicked open my door with force and shoved two shirts in James and Lizzie's face.

"So which shirt?"

"I say go with the Iron Man shirt," James declared, pointing to the t-shirt in my right hand.

"Merlin," Lizzie sighed. "Neither."

She hoisted herself up and flounced into my room.

"I liked the Iron Man shirt too," I stated, examining the t-shirt. I don't know what's wrong with it. She emerged with a gray linen shirt that had sleeves that cuffed at my elbows with a tab.

"Put this on and go or you'll be late," she declared, throwing it over my head.

"And I'm going to be off so I can get laid and make my beautiful girlfriend happy," James declared, giving me a pat on the shoulder and heading to the fireplace. Oh for the love of Dumbledore what I wouldn't give to get this image out of my head.

* * *

"I should have a table for two," I declared to the hostess. It was the usual restaurant I took first dates because it was both a muggle and a wizard establishment (not that the muggles knew) so whoever my date wound up being it could work either way, plus they take either currency so I never have to worry about what I have in my pocket.

"Another first date?" a voice questioned from my left. My face must've said everything because the waitress set her platter of used dishes down on the dirty table next to me and placed her hands on her hips. "You're here every few weeks with a different bird and always spiffily dressed. Obviously you're some sort of serial dater."

"Oi!" I exclaimed as she grinned. "I am not a serial dater! I just know what I want and end it before it gets to what I don't want. Or often she'll dump me. I'm just going to go ahead and take insult to that, yeah?"

"I didn't mean it insultingly," she laughed, reaching up and fluffing her long fringe from being plastered on her forehead. The rest of her honey blonde hair was tucked into a messy bun on the top of her head. It was falling out, an errant lock tumbling down her back. "I just meant that I'm impressed you find that many girls to date and I'm not saying that sarcastically."

"Well where do you take your boyfriend, then?" I questioned, leaning forward on my elbows and giving her a challenging look. She crinkled her nose, which had a light spray of freckles across it, and tilted her head to the side.

"I'm the bird," she stated genially. "My first dates are always at different locations. See you later, Moppet. Enjoy your first date."

"Moppet?" I questioned before she could walk away.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I like nicknames. Your hair, its curly. You're a mop head."

"Fine, Freckles," I replied defiantly, touching my hair. It was cut shorter on the sides but the top still spilled over my forehead, just like it always has. There's really only one style it does nicely unless I cut it all off. "I will enjoy my first date."

"Freckles," she nodded sagely, "I'll take it."

"Kent?" a voice questioned from my left. I jumped out of my chair and plastered a smile on my face.

"Amanda?" I questioned, holding out my hand. The lithe girl grinned and shook my hand. She was cute but her front teeth were rather large. "Glad you found the place, it's one of my favorites."

"I can tell," Amanda grinned. "You know the staff. I hope you don't take your date of the week here. That would be embarrassing."

"Nope, just every other week," I joked. Her smile faltered slightly and there was a small laugh behind me. I turned slightly. The waitress gave me a slight shrug and held up some Saran Wrap they use to pack up left overs. I furrowed my brow but she just shook her head and disappeared through the kitchen doors.

The dinner was simple. Those normal questions you ask on first dates. She worked for Witch Weekly, actually knew Parker Finnigan who was a few years above me and older sister to an old dorm mate. Didn't go to Hogwarts but would've been Lucy's year. She was rather stale. Knew Lizzie through a mutual friend of hers. All rather pedantic.

"So-you're an Unspeakable," she declared, smiling over her glass at me.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "My sister and I just got promoted into the ranks."

"Must be really exciting. No one knows what they really do," she stated, leaning in slightly. "People think that you have the power to strip people of their magic, is that true?"

I slipped a few galleons in the check pocket and handed it back to Freckles who snorted slightly in mirth again.

"Don't know," I admitted. "And if I did I couldn't tell you."

"That's what all you Unspeakables say," Amanda pouted slightly as I pulled out her chair for her. "You're no fun."

"Want to know no fun? Lizzie works with plants," I laughed.

"And Lizzie is to you?" she questioned.

"My flatmate," I stated slowly. "Until she moves on to her next location in a year."

"Have a nice night, Moppet!" Freckles called as I passed.

"Until next time, Freckles," I replied offhandedly.

"Moppet," Amanda questioned in a low voice. "Freckles?"

"I'm here a lot?" I stated, keeping my hand on the small of her back.

"She was definitely flirting with you and you flirted right back. While on a date. Rather rude if you ask me," Amanda quipped, crossing her arms over her chest. I blinked at her.

"You fancy the waitress?"

"What?!" I spluttered.

"Do you fancy the waitress? I don't want to be wasting my time with someone who fancies the waitress. I mean I've been through it before, it's not pleasant for either party."

"Excuse me? Do I...Amanda, you're being ridiculous," I stated slowly. "I don't fancy the bloody waitress. I can talk to a girl without fancying her. You're acting sort of barmy."

"So now I'm barmy?" Amanda scoffed.

"A little bit, yeah," I replied with a small head nod. Amanda gave me the most insulted face I've ever seen and then her wand was out and I was hit with a twitchy-ears hex before she stalked away. I clamped my hands over my ears, trying to get them to stop moving. I'm going to kill Lizzie.

Freckles was suddenly in front of my face, her's lit up in mirth. She said something but because of the hex I couldn't hear her.

"WHAT?! TWITCHY EARS!"

She rolled her eyes and grabbed the back of my shirt, dragging me through the restaurant and into the all wizard portion of the dining area. She took out her wand and flicked it at my head.

"I said that I told you she was a stage five clinger," she stated with an air of frivolity.

"You most certainly did not," I declared, sticking a finger in my ear and shaking it around a bit.

"The Saran Wrap, huge hint," she stated simply.

"You birds and your hints! Can't you just say what you mean?!"

"I couldn't walk over there and just announce it, now could I? That's your problem. All the girls you take out on dates have some sort of issues. Clingy, needy, just such _girls_."

"Glad you have tabs on my dating life, Freckles," I declared, holding out my arms.

"I notice things," she shrugged simply. "Not my fault I'm observant."

"Observant, nosy? Same thing right?" I laughed.

"Oh totally-they go hand in hand. Why don't you let me be your dating coach, Moppet? I'll find you a steady girlfriend in no time," she suggested. "See I don't deal with bullshit. Girls are mad but luckily there are a good handful out there. The ones that don't act like girls, that is. I think that's what you're looking for, you just don't know it yet."

"I am, huh?" I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yeah," she replied cockily. "I'm a bloody genius."

"What the hell do I have to lose? My flatmate is a horrid cupid," I sighed, holding out my hand. She gave it a firm pump.

"Well, Kent," she declared, with a smirk. "You've just made the best decision of your life."

"I liked our nicknames," I frowned. "I don't actually know your name. Nobody wears a bloody name tag here."

"It's Caroline," she declared, turning to go back to the kitchen. "But I won't answer to anything but Freckles."

* * *

**Kaylie**

* * *

Laden with instructions on what we were doing for the rehearsal dinner, a family only affair where Dominique and Cameron are being hand-fasted before their non-magical ceremony, I carefully unlocked the apartment and stepped in. The living area was dark but there was a light coming from the kitchen. James was probably making himself a sandwich after going out tonight.

"James, love? I forgot to pick up turkey, I'm sorry!" I declared, heading over. I froze in the doorway. It was just like when I came home after my first day of being promoted. There was chocolate smeared across the ice box handle. Egg shells were and sticky yolk and whites were smeared across the counter. Butter sat, off a plate, slowly melting next to a floured pan (which of course had more flour on the walls, counter, and floor then the actual pan). A large wooden spoon sat in it's own muddy pile of what I assumed was chocolate next to a gigantic wooden bowl. I felt my stomach drop.

It was one thing to leave a dish but to leave the kitchen looking like a war zone? I knew logically I was overreacting but the mess just made my mind go hazy. It was like he didn't care. He didn't care that I had to come home and clean all this. He didn't care that I was probably exhausted and just wanted to crawl into bed. It was like he didn't care that his mess would just sit here, congealing and staining, all night.

With a small shriek of indigence I rushed over to the trashbin and began to throw everything in it. The spoon. The egg shells. The butter. The half spilled bag of flour. I was going to have to scrub the kitchen floors. I was going to have to scrub in the grout of the title in the backsplash. I was once again going to have to take care of him. I was mid-toss of the glass baking pan when there was an almost choke behind me.

"What the hell are you doing, woman?!"

"Cleaning," I snapped, tossing the pan in the bin. "After a mess you made, again."

"You didn't even let me finish! I went to go get nuts," James declared, grabbing my wrist as I went to throw away the bowl of batter. "Which you're acting by the way."

"Oh I'm _nuts_?! James, haven't you heard of cleaning as you go?!"

"Not everyone is as anal as you are," James announced back.

"It's not anal when this is going to congeal!"

"Kaylie-it's anal! I never knew that without Kent to leave some sort of balance you would go off your rocker and try to keep everything perfect!"

"Not everything is perfect, James! Mostly because you prevent it from being that way!" I declared.

"Kaylie! You bloody organized my shoes by shoelace length," James exploded. "Just come look at your books!"

He stalked back towards the living room and pointed crazily at my bookshelf.

"First Year Potions book?! Do you really need that still? And it's categorized! Completely! The method is barmy!"

"At least I don't live in a sty! There was a reason that I didn't set foot in your and Kent's room when we lived together! If you want to be a slob can't you keep it in the guest room where I don't have to see it? Why don't you go there now so I don't have to see you!? You're a total slob-an absolute terror," I snapped.

"Slob, eh?" James declared with a wide gesture of his arms. "I'll show you slob!"

With that James stalked over to my books and snatched the Potions one off the shelf before shoving it between two fiction novels.

"Will you look at that?! The world didn't explode!"

He continued to take books out and shove them in different places at random.

"Will you stop messing with my stuff!" I exploded.

"Yeah," James snorted. "I'll go mess with mine."

He charged from the room again, me hot on his heels and contemplating strangling him with my bare hands but he got to the closet before I could.

"You put a section of pinks together?!" James questioned incredulously as he began to rip clothes off the hangers and throw them out of the closet at random.

"These aren't even mine! They're your bloody brothers!"

I felt the anger welt up inside of me as he began to mock me under his breath. Two can play at this game. I charged out of the room and across the hall to his 'sanctuary'. Flicking my wand at the pile of books on the floor I slashed at them, forcing them to float into order. Then I grabbed his prototype notebook, one of his most prized possessions, and snatched a quill off the table. I flipped to the first page and began to cross out his writing and write his sentences in as grammatically correct instead of his short hand. There was a loud gasp behind me and loud footsteps. Suddenly I felt warm goo spread from my scalp and drip down my face.

I whirled on him, dropping the notebook in the process, and eyed him vividly.

"I cannot believe you just did that!"

James stared at me, his brow furrowed in anger, before it released and a goofy smile spread on his face. I felt offended for a moment-laughing at me like this when we were in the middle of a pretty big row, but then I caught site of myself in the mirror on the back of the door and felt the laughter spread in my own chest. James reached out and scooped some batter off my cheek before plopping his finger in his mouth.

"You're delicious," he commented with a slight raise of his eyebrow. He frowned lightly and used his palm to gently wipe the batter out of my eyes. "But that was out of line. I'm sorry. I guess I can be a bit lax sometimes."

I sighed and looked down at the prototype book at my feet.

"And I'm sorry. I can be a bit cleanly as well. Truce?"

"Truce," James agreed, stepping forward and taking my face in his hands before kissing me firmly on the lips.

"I love you, you mad cow," he sighed, kissing me again. I felt a small smile tug at the corners of my mouth. "What do you say I clean you up throughly? I mean I may not love chocolate as much as you but it's probably going to lead to a fun picnic anyways."

As much as the desire pulled from deep in my belly my limbs and eyes protested. The apartment looked like a monsoon hit it and I was covered in chocolate. And while a shag would be lovely right now I just felt so exhausted after such a long day that I don't think I have it in me.

"I love you too, you idiot," I sighed, using my clean thumb to wipe some chocolate batter off his lips. "But I think I'm going to shower and go to bed. But I'll look forward to you keeping me warm once I'm there."

As I headed towards the bathroom the light feeling in my chest started to dissipate. It was wonderful making up with him. Calling a truce and exchanging love after but I also was cognoscente of the fact that we just fought about nothing and that scared me more then anything. We made up at least and hopefully things will turn around. Hopefully that showed him that I needed support from him. Hopefully what Dominique said was an over-exaggeration of what was going on. James loves me and in a relationship isn't that always all you need?

* * *

**A/A: **


	5. Chapter 5

"_MISS SCOTT! OVER HERE!"_

"_Miss Scott, do you have any comment on this new discovery? Can you give us anything?"_

"_Now, now," I laughed, smoothing my hand over the root of my tight bun. It wasn't the me I saw in the mirror but an older version. My face was a bit more weathered and my stature even said older. I smiled at the small grouping of people. They all had Quick Quotes Quill's and cameras. When I spoke my voice was sonified, booming easily over the crowd. "We all know that I can't give details. But I can say that the discovery that Kenneth and I have made is going to revolutionize the way we teach new generations of magic from here on out." _

_There was an excited murmur through the crowd. One witch that bore a striking resemblance to Fred's old mate, Parker Finnegan, pushed forward and raised a few fingers in the air. _

"_Witch Weekly wants to know more about _you_ as a person. Our readers want to know about your life. You've been dating a Mr. James Potter for years. My sources say he's still at a minimum wage position and you're supporting you two completely. Do you have any words on this?" _

_The older me froze, her face faltering slightly. _

"_My relationship with Mr. Potter has nothing to do with my work in the Ministry."_

"_But it does," the reporter declared. She pointed to the side of the stage. There stood an older James, his hair sparked with gray. He wore a stained t-shirt, baggy shorts, and trainers and was casually bouncing a yo-yo up and down. The image that he presented with his age was grotesque in comparison to our age. The cameras started to flash as James smirked, dropped the yo-yo, and flipped around dropping his shorts and mooning the crowd. I felt my throat constrict._

"_Don't you see Miss Scott? Your relationship with Mr. Potter is holding you back. You could've been Minister of Magic by now if you just didn't let him drag you down to his level."_

I woke up with a gasp. The room was too warm. I couldn't breathe. The misshapen image that the dream portrayed wasn't reality. It didn't mean that this was my future. This was just a dream and nothing more. So why can't I breathe? Why was the world pressing down on me?

"It's too hot," I gasped, kicking one leg out of the comforter and trying to wiggle out of James' arms. His grip only tightened. "James."

"Stop moving," James grumbled. "Sleeping."

"You're a furnace," I declared, fully tossing off the blankets and yanking myself from his grip. I stalked over to the window and yanked it up, leaning out of the sill and taking a deep breath.

"What's with you?" James questioned, his voice still thick with sleep. "It's the middle of the night."

"I couldn't breathe. I was suffocating," I admitted, taking another deep breath. "I needed air."

"Come back to bed, love," James sighed, patting the bed.

"I can't. I need space," I declared, holding out my hands. "Just give me a minute."

I pushed the window a bit higher and swung my legs out so my bare feet could rest on the fire escape. James hefted a sigh behind me and there was the noise of the bedsprings squeaking as he got out of bed.

"Budge over, KayKay," he declared groggily from behind me. I edged over enough so he could lean out on the sill on his forearms. "What's the matter?"

"Just," I sighed, pausing. "It was a dream."

"Your dad? You haven't had one of those nightmares in years," he questioned softly.

"No—not my dad," I answered with a small shake of my head. "I just woke up and I couldn't breathe."

"Probably because you're exhausted. I feel like we just got in bed from the rehearsal dinner," James laughed, reaching a hand up and brushing the back of his fingers against my cheek. I looked down at him for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"Did you ever ask George about that Developer position?"

James stiffened slightly, furrowing his brow.

"Why do you ask?"

"I was just curious," I answered, trying to push nonchalance into my words. This has nothing to do with me testing your ability for responsibility. This is just me being curious about my boyfriend's life.

"Yeah, I did," James answered slowly. I whipped my head to look at him, sending me overbalanced and falling backwards slightly. James' arms shot out and he caught me around the waist, steadying me before letting go and going back towards bed. I swung back around and fumbled back into the room.

"You did?!" I squeaked, rushing towards the bed and bouncing onto the mattress with my knees. "What did he say?! When do you start?!"

"Kaylie, chill out," James declared, yanking the blankets up over his shoulder and rolling so his back was facing me, he was as stiff as a board. "He said there were no positions available in the payroll at the moment."

Oh.

"James," I sighed, crawling forward so I could rest my chin on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. But I'm proud of you for asking, just like the brave Gryffindor you are."

James didn't speak. There was just the rise and fall of his chest.

"Are you upset?"

"No," came his soft answer. "I'm okay where I am."

"Really?" I questioned, pulling an arm across his chest and lowering myself so I was lying behind him. "You seem sad, that's all."

"No," he sighed, reaching up and taking the hand that was lying on his abdomen. He rolled over a bit, half of his body laying over mine, so he could look at me out of the corner of his eyes. "I'm not sad. It'll happen someday."

"At least you asked. At least you put it out there," I declared, pulling myself out from under him and up his chest so I could kiss him. "He knows now and when he has the funds he'll hire you."

James was silent again, his eyes trained on the ceiling. I pressed my lips against his neck. The muscles there jumped slightly upon contact. His hand wandered down my back, brushing back up under my shirt and against my bare skin.

"KayKay," he whispered hoarsely. "I…the job…I…"

"Shh. It's okay—I still believe in you," I commanded, swinging one leg over his hip so I was straddling him and lowering my lips to his neck again. "But now it's been over a month, love. I'm sorry about that. I've just been so tired and not in the mood at all, but I've never had more energy than I do right now. I think that I owe you a bit."

James' hands tightened on my hips as I moved my mouth down his neck and to the edge of the neck of his shirt. I fisted the fabric and yanked it over his head.

"KayKay," James sighed once I could see his eyes again. They were wide in the dark, his bottom lip in between his teeth. "I love you."

"I know," I laughed, moving my lips from his neck to his chest. "Why wouldn't you?"

"No, I really love you," he declared. I smiled, tugging at his boxer shorts. I could feel his breath hitched as I tossed them to the floor. "Oh Merlin, Kay."

I lifted my head from where I was busy moving my mouth against James and peeled my t-shirt over my head. Again, James' breath hitched slightly. His fingers ran through my hair, grabbing tight as I continued my work.

"Get up here," James suddenly growled. I lifted my head and pushed my hair out of my face, smiling slightly. I moved up, allowing James to grab my face and slam his lips into mine. He circled his arm tight around my waist and used his other hand to tug hard at my knickers. It was a tumble of sheets and mouths. Hard hands pinning wrists to the mattress. Hard lips pressing so hard teeth knocked.

James kept one arm firmly locked around my waist as he moved, keeping our bodies flesh together. I stifled a moan and fisted a hand through the hair in back of his head. He reached up with his free hand clearing hair out of my face and pressing his forehead against mine as he grit his teeth in concentration.

"James," I gasped, arching my back slightly as waves of ecstasy crashed around me. I collapsed against his chest with a gasp, blindly pressing my lips against his. I pulled his hands from their positions against me and pressed them into the mattress, slowly moving against him. He pressed his head against the pillows, detangling his hands from my grasp and grabbing my waist so he could adjust me to his liking. It was only a quick moment before he seized up and finished panting.

"Kaylie," he groaned as I flattened myself against him again and pressed my lips to his.

"I love you," I declared punctuating each word with a kiss. "Now we need to go to sleep because Dominique requires us to be at Shell Cottage tomorrow ridiculously early."

"Bed," James echoed, shifting us so he was holding me again. He softly kissed the back of my neck and easily fell into a slow slumber. It took me a couple more minutes to fall asleep. I was left with the glow of pride (amongst other things) in my stomach. Of course my dream wasn't an indication of my future. Of course it was only a dream. James took responsibility and asked George for a promotion. So he was turned down? That's a part of life we can live with because he took the step and that's all that matters.

* * *

**James**

* * *

"Dammit! Bloody hell, that hurt!"

"What?!" I exclaimed, hurrying to the bathroom and peeking in. "What happened?"

"I burnt my forehead," Kaylie exclaimed, holding a washcloth to her forehead. "I was curling my hair like Dominique wanted and my wand slipped. I look like I have a gigantic wart on my forehead.

"Let me see," I ordered, grabbing her wrist and moving it to the side. I winced. "Yeah that looks like a third eye."

"James," Kaylie wailed, peering in the mirror. "It wouldn't heal away!"

"Maybe because it's caused magically?" I questioned hopefully. Kaylie groaned again and ran the washcloth under the cold water. She pressed it to her forehead again and grabbed my wrist so she can check my watch. "And now we're going to be late and your cousin is going to kill me."

"Why don't we just go and someone there can figure out how to fix it. Vic's a Healer she'll get it done. I still don't understand why we have to go so early though."

"I've explained it a million times," Kaylie declared, shoving things into a bag. She turned to the mirror and pouted. Her hair was half curled and the burn spot was growing redder by the minute. She hefted a sigh and turned back to me. "We've got to fully fix up Shell Cottage to be Muggle approved. Even though they're all going to flip when I get there they can deal. The day's not about me to begin with."

She whipped her bag off the counter and tied back her hair as she briskly marched to the living room. I stared after her for a moment, already feeling that this day was going to be more than a hurricane. Kaylie was already funneling through the Floo Network when I meandered after her to the living room. I landed in the Cottage's living room seconds later and almost immediately turned back around. Dominique looked livid and hurried.

"JAMES!" Dominique exclaimed, rushing over to me. "What took you so long?"

"Uh," I stammered, looking at my watch and then back at her manic face. "I believe I'm right on time? Why do you need me anyways? Isn't Kaylie the one in the wedding party? I'm only an usher."

"Because! Nobody here right now can do magic and the tent isn't even up yet. None of the tables are conjured and all I have so far is Rose, Uncle Ron, Dad, and Teddy!"

"Isn't that four people that can do magic?" I questioned hesitantly. "And Aunt Hermione is right there—she can do better magic then all of them."

"Oh, wrong move," Dad whistled from one of the arm chairs.

"Dad's here too! He can do magic. So can my Mum and Kaylie who I know is here because she Floo'd before me."

"James, just stop while you're ahead," Dad sighed, getting up and grabbing my arm. "Just let her fret. Only five hours until it all starts and she breathes just a bit. It has to do this with all the Muggles. She's in a bit of a tiff because she's afraid someone is going to reveal magic."

"JAMES GO SET UP THE TENT!" Dominique shouted after me. I gave her a perturbed look over my shoulder and doubled my pace to the kitchen where Rose and Lily were sitting with another girl Lily's age who looked supremely bored to be sitting there. She glanced up from her nails when we walked in and gave us a small nod. Dad gave me one last pat on the shoulder before heading out to the lawn where Uncle Ron was most likely hiding.

"Hullo Rose, Goblin, and bird I do not know," I declared saluting slightly.

"I told you that it offends the Nargles when you don't call me by my given name…or my spirit name, Lady Greengrass," Lily announced, drifting off slightly at the tail end of her sentence.

"More like it offends Goblins everywhere," the strange girl shrugged.

"I like this girl," I declared, pointing at her. "Though I feel as the big brother I need to point out that that was rather rude. Continue as normal."

"I told her if she says weird things I'm going to act like we're not—well we're not affiliated," the girl shrugged, tossing her hair over her shoulder and holding out her hand. "Melissa Miller. You, of course, are James Potter. You were like a god my first year."

"Wait—Miller?" I snorted. "You're Elena's sister! Oh, I get it now. You're the Slytherin. Tell me why you're friends with my baby sister then? Really doesn't seem like you two have much in common."

Melissa shrugged and examined her nails again before giving Lily a small look out of the corner of her eyes.

"I don't know," she answered finally. "She humbles me. She looks over my homework. And in return I give her advice on how to be somewhat normal. It just seems to work."

"I found her crying in the loos one day and was the only one who would talk to her. It's been sealed by fate ever since. I took her to tea with Myrtle and everything," Lily piped up, giving Melissa a small smile.

"I told you to never bring up that story every again," she groaned. I gave Rose a confused look. She just shrugged.

"Goblin," I stated, deciding not to question how my sister had a friend at all…let alone a Slytherin, "is Al here yet?"

"Nope," Tara Jenkins, one of Rose, their friend Scorpius, and Al' best mates and ex-girlfriend declared, shutting the kitchen door behind her. "He's almost here though. Has anyone seen Cameron?"

"Are you his date?" I questioned. "Did you two get back together or something? He said he was bringing someone."

"No," Tara said with a small snort of laughter. Rose burst into a peal of high pitched giggles—a nervous habit. "I am not his date nor will we ever be getting back together."

"Then what are you doing here?" I questioned hesitantly. "And is Albus' date good looking? He won't tell me a thing about her."

"I've known Cameron longer then you have?" she stated slowly. "Like since before he was even cool?"

"I would probably call it more handsome?" Melissa piped up in reference to my question about Albus. Lily smacked her on the arm.

"Oh," I commented slowly. "I was under the impression that Cameron was always cool."

"Second that," Rose and Lily declared simultaneously pumping their fists in the air.

"JAMES!" Dominique declared, stalking into the kitchen. "I asked you five minutes ago to go set up the tent! And Rose, you were on table duty! Everyone else is already out there!"

"When the hell did everyone else get here?" I questioned under my breath as she shoved me and Rose out the door.

"When is she going to quit being such a Bridezilla?" Rose countered.

"She probably slept on a pillow infested by Creek Toads. Total mood killer," Lily piped up. I shot her a confused look and threw an arm over her shoulder.

"Where the hell did we go wrong with you Lils?"

"The real question is where you went right," she countered.

"Look who _finally _gets his arse out here," Fred declared, whipping around, losing his wand's hold on the tent, and sending Roxy and Molly flying backwards by the momentum.

"Fred!" Roxy exclaimed, pushing her hair off of her face. "What the hell!"

"Like to insert an ouch to that 'what the hell'," Molly groaned, adjusting her glasses. Louis fired his Tent peg into the ground and flipped around to help Molly to her feet. The tent looked dilapidated with half of its large mass on the ground.

"Everything a go?!" Lucy questioned from where her, Kent, Kaylie and Teddy had the other half of the tent suspended in the air.

"Fred's an idiot!" Roxy shouted back.

"What's new?" Adder questioned from where she was sitting on a sand dune behind us.

"Aren't you supposed to be helping, woman?!" Fred fired back.

"Do you lot need help?"

I whirled around and beamed.

"Al! Where's the date?! I wanna meet this bird that you won't tell me _anything_ about." I questioned, holding out my arms to my little brother. A random bloke stood next to him, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Uh, he's right here. Christopher, this is well everyone. Everyone this is Christopher," Albus declared, stepping back and taking the blokes hand. I stared at them for a moment before looking back at everyone else. Nobody seemed phased by this. Why would he just bring a mate from work? Why wouldn't he just bring a girlfriend?

"So this is a mate from work?"

"No, James," Albus sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "This would be my date…as in my boyfriend."

"_What?!_"

"Did anyone else see Potter's head just internally explode?" Adder questioned from behind me.

"_Boyfriend_?! As in you two are romantically involved? As in blokes. Romantically involved?"

"Yeah…usually what boyfriends entail," Albus shrugged. "You going to start yelling because I think I want to spare Chris from that?"

"Who else knew about this?! Why isn't anyone else freaking out?!" I exclaimed, looking wildly around at all my cousins. Tentatively Lily raised her hand, everyone else's slowly following suit. _Everyone's_. Adder's, Teddy's, Melissa's. Everyone's. "ALL OF YOU?! But he dated Tara for like a year!"

"Oh please," Tara snorted. "Even I knew he was gay then. We were both like mutually in love with Scorpius at the time."

"I'm pretty sure we were all in love with Scorpius at some point, though," Lily pointed out. "Even Melissa had his name doodled on her parchment."

"So you two were never…" I questioned, trailing off. Tara gave me a disgusted look.

"I may have snogged him once because he really wanted to make sure but it was for science and the fact that I'm a really good friend," Tara shrugged.

"How the _hell_ did everyone know!?"

"Well I always kinda guessed," Lily started. "But I knew for sure when I found the _Hottest Blokes of Quidditch _calendar under his mattress."

"You were snooping in my room?!" Albus exclaimed, turning incredulously to our younger sister. She jumped up with her hands in a defensive position.

"Woah! I thought we were discussing your sexual preferences _not_ my snooping habits."

"Still! You little bugger!" Albus announced, reaching over and flicking her on the ear.

"Ouch!" Lily crowed, slapping at his hand. "You're going to scare away the Nargles!"

"Don't snoop in my room," Albus snapped.

"Don't come out to your brother in front of twenty million people and you won't have to know about my secret excursions," Lily countered. "Jeeze. I'm going inside. I can't even do anything here, anyways. C'mon, Missy."

"Oh and leave all the fun," Melissa whined as Lily dragged her away.

I stared at Christopher and Albus, still innocently holding hands. Christopher looked more than uncomfortable. Actually he looked like he was going to burst into tears at any second. Albus was eyeing me apprehensively. His jaw was locked tight and under his bravado he looked pale. He was seriously freaking. I looked down at their intertwined hands again and felt the stab of shock...but this was Albus. My little brother. If I just stormed off he'd be crushed. As much as I wanted to sorta storm off at the moment because this was a bit much change for me to handle I knew I couldn't.

"So, are you two going to help put up this stupid tent or what?"

Tension that Albus was hiding really well suddenly left his shoulders and he stumbled forward, pulling me into a very unlikely hug. Albus and I don't hug. We punch each other and possibly wrestle at times but don't really hug. He's actually very macho and unpouf like. This is weird.

"Thanks James," he sighed, pulling away and frowning slightly before socking me in the shoulder.

"Do Mum and Dad know?" I questioned lightly.

"Yeah," Albus laughed. "I think Mum always sorta knew but I told them officially last month."

"Right," I declared, holding out my hand to Christopher who shook it slightly. "You have really soft hands."

"Lotion," he shrugged.

"We have a basket of it in the bathroom, love," Kaylie declared.

"Woah, Kay!" Albus snorted, grabbing her face. "Where'd you get the second head?"

"I burnt myself with my wand," she groaned. "Don't tell Dom. I managed to pass her without her noticing. I haven't figured out how to get rid of it yet. I'm going to ask Vic when she gets here with Vi."

"So this lotion stuff," I questioned, grabbing Kaylie round the waist. "Is that what makes you so soft?"

Kaylie rolled her eyes, gave me a pat on the cheek, and turned her attention back to the tent.

* * *

**Kent**

* * *

"What're you doing under there?" I questioned, kicking at the bottom of James' dress shoe. He rolled out from under the round table that held the wedding cake.

"Getting a ball that Violet threw," James stated, giving me a small but mischievous smile.

"I don't like that face," I groaned, pulling at James' proffered hand and helping him to his feet. "That face got us sent to McGonagall's office way too often."

"I'm doing nothing. Unless you want in and then I'm doing something," James shrugged. "And by your face we're going with nothing. The ball must've rolled somewhere else."

He stalked towards our own well decorated circular table but momentarily froze when his sightline fell on Albus.

"It was big of you to just accept that, mate," I stated as James eyed Albus and his boyfriend casually flirting with each other while we were waiting for the ceremony to start. James' jaw locked slightly as he turned his eyes back towards the altar where Cameron, Louis, and his bandmates stood ready for the ceremony to start. Cameron looked like he was going to puke. It was strange seeing him flustered in any way. His eyes flicked over to a man that approached him. He had the same build and line of his shoulders. Cameron stiffly shook his hand and gave a polite nod to the woman standing next to her.

"Kaylie said his Dad was coming," James muttered, finishing our walk towards our table. "Apparently he hasn't seen the man in like ten years."

"Rough," I sighed, eyeing my nails. I closed my eyes for a second and tried to picture myself in Cameron's place. The bride was faceless but I could see myself standing there under the same circumstances. No Dad to send you off—tell you how to be a man. I rarely think of that missing link in my life but sometimes it's hard to avoid.

"So," James stated slyly. "Why didn't you bring a date today?"

"Because Freckles has yet to make her move," I snorted.

"Freckles is that waitress, right?" James clarified. I nodded. I was contemplating asking Caroline to be my date but the problem was she was still trying to find that perfect bird to set me up with. We've been hanging out quite a bit in the last two weeks. "Why don't you just ask her out?"

"Because she's adamant in setting me up with someone she deems perfect for me," I shrugged. "So far that's not her apparently."

"You're pussying out. Maybe she's playing with your mind? Maybe she's using that as a hint to ask her out? Girls are crazy—that's _just_ what'd they do."

"No," I groaned. "That's the thing. I don't think she's playing games. She's not the type."

"Violet!" Teddy bellowed, firing down the aisle as Violet charged before everyone was ready. She ran right up to James and scrambled in his lap. James beamed.

"Causing trouble, little one?" he questioned, wrapping his arms around his god-daughter.

"As always," Teddy groaned, holding out his arms to Violet.

"That's my girl," James crowed. "What do I always tell you, Vi?"

"Make as much twouble as I can," she recited sagely before screwing up her eyes. When they popped open they matched the turquoise flower circlet in her hair.

"Horrid motto to teach a four year old, James," Teddy groaned, looking quickly over his shoulder. "Now what did I tell you Violet?"

Violet pouted and screwed her eyes again. When she opened them they were the same blue of her natural color.

"No magic," she sighed.

"Now do you want your special lolly or not?"

"Yes," she concluded after pondering her father's question for a second.

"Then what do we have to do?" Teddy questioned back.

"Spread pwetty flowews," Violet shot back. "I want Uncie James to walk me. Pwese?"

She turned to James with huge eyes and pressed her little chubby toddler hands on his cheeks. James looked conflicted. The last thing he wanted to do was walk down the aisle. But then again one of the only things he couldn't do was say no to the cheeky bugger.

"C'mon, Uncie James," I teased. "Walk the midge down the aisle."

"Pwese!" Violet whined again.

"Yeah," I echoed. "Pwese."

"Stuff it, Kent," James groaned before gathering Violet in his arms and standing. "Let's get you down the aisle."

"Please don't ever say that in association to my daughter ever again," Teddy declared protectively. James shot him an equally horrified look and tightened his arms around Violet a bit. I think the thought of Violet going out with a boy was as frightening as his sister, which thankfully hasn't come up yet.

"Howdy, Kenneth."

Speak of the devil, herself.

"Hey, Lily Pad," I replied, giving her an affectionate chuff on the shoulder as she plopped down next to me. "Where's your friend?"

"Oh, her sister just arrived. Apparently Missy stole a dress from her closet and is getting appropriately berated for it."

I shot up and looked wildly around. Missy was standing with her arms crossed defiantly across her chest as Elena gestured wildly at her. Her hair was a bit longer from when we saw her last, pulled over one shoulder, showing off the open back to her tight black dress. Lou was going to lose it.

"Elena was invited?" I choked out. Lily smoothed out the skirt of her long neon green lace dress (which clashed horribly with her hair) and pursed her lips.

"Well she became rather chummy with Dom and Cam while with Lou, didn't she?" she snorted, manically brushing her hair out of her eyes before groaning disdainfully and grabbing a fork from the table. She wound her hair into a pile on top of her head and jabbed the fork into it so it would stay. Most of it did but a good chunk fell back down her back, which she didn't bother with. "So, think that guy over there wants to know about Nargles?"

"Lils," I laughed, eyeing the altar carefully to see if Lou noticed Elena, before looking over at the mate of Cam that Lily was eyeing. "One, he's a bit old for you. Two, James will flip if you even think about going after a boy. Three, you can't talk to him about Nargles-he's a Muggle."

"Twenty-five, James doesn't dictate who I speak to," Lily countered hotly. "Fifty, he's younger than Cam. One hundred, I think he can handle the Nargles."

"Oh Merlin, Potter is that a utensil in your hair?" Missy gasped, taking the seat next to Lily. Elena gave her sister an alarmed look and plopped down next to me.

"It was in my way. Do you think that boy is cute?"

"If you like blokes with big noses and glasses," Missy snorted, slapping Lily's hand away as she obviously pointed.

"I want to dance with him tonight," Lily declared grandly.

"Lily your skin looks yellow with the dress you picked out," Missy cried.

"Dominique said that I would clash if I wore the bridesmaid dresses so I'm showing her what clashing really means!" Lily cried, waving when the boy looked at her in alarm.

"Oh for fucks sake," Elena hissed under her breath. "How do you have friends, Melissa?"

"Speaking of fucks sake," I declared turning to her. She shrunk slightly in her seat. "Thanks for telling us you were coming, Lena."

She looked appropriately abashed.

"I figured it'd be better on everyone if I just showed for the ceremony, gave my big congrats and slipped out. Has he noticed me yet?"

I glanced back over at Louis. He still looked like he hadn't shit himself.

"I'm going to go with no," I replied. "But you can't just leave his sister's wedding without saying hello."

"Kent," Elena whined. "Do you know how hard it is to even _look_ at him?!"

"Blah, blah, blah," Missy mocked. "We all know you wished you never broke up."

"Really?!" I questioned with wide eyes.

"It was all his idea! I figured if he was so adamant about it, it was for the best. I mean the prospect makes sense. We can't keep something up when I'm halfway around the world but it doesn't make me miss him less," Elena sighed miserably. She suddenly yanked me to cover her as Louis' eyes trained towards us.

"You can't avoid him," I hissed.

"I can try. It'll be easier if he doesn't know I'm here," Elena whispered back. I was about to answer but a melody picked up causing the crowd to hush. I gave her an annoyed look but turned around in my seat to eye the opening to the tent. Violet popped towards the mouth but froze, looking backwards and stomping her foot impatiently. James reluctantly appeared behind her, a tiny turquoise basket in his hands. I stifled a giggled. Violet grabbed onto James' proffered finger and began to yank him down the aisle, grabbing a fistful of petals now and again and chucking them forcefully at the ground.

"I would've done a much better job," Lily hissed when Violet stopped in the middle of the aisle and turned towards James.

"Upie," she commanded, holding her arms up. The audience stifled a giggle.

"Vi," James hissed, shaking the basket in her face. "You have to finish with the flowers."

"No," she pouted. "Upie."

James groaned but fumbled the basket so he could heft Violet on his hip. She let out a large shriek when he started to walk, causing the music to falter slightly and James to freeze. Violet yanked the circlet of flowers out of her hair and jammed it onto James' head.

"You toss," she commanded, pointing at the flowers. The back of James' neck went slightly red as the crowd laughed again. Cameron covered his mouth with his hand as the photographer flashed the camera in James' face. With a slightly locked jaw, James grabbed a handful of flowers and sprinkled them down the aisle as he continued his walk towards the altar. When he reached the end the crowd burst into applause. Fred even gave a large wolf whistle from the next table over.

"Total amateur," Lily muttered under her breath as Adder walked as fast down the aisle as she could. Fred let out another whistle.

"That's my baby!" he shouted, making the crowd laugh again. Adder looked like she was suppressing flipping him off.

Next came Cameron's little sister, a small girl about Lily's age with Cameron's eyes and her hair bobbed. Then Leah, Dom and Cam's close friend. Kaylie followed, the big blemish gone from her forehead and styled curls already giving way to our natural messy jumble, probably only aided by the salty sea air. Her eyes widened when she passed our table, giving Elena a small glare. She merely shrugged and jolted behind me again.

This time though, Louis was already watching Kaylie and not the rest of the guests. He followed Kaylie's gaze and his eyes widened slightly.

"You can come out," I hissed, poking her thigh. "He's seen you."

Elena squeaked and tugged on her hair, finally giving Louis a slight wave. He looked perturbed, the expression foreign on his face. It's one he got when he found himself wrong-which was almost never. I gave him a sheepish shrug as the music swelled up. Victoire had already walked down the aisle and people were lumbering to their feet as Dominique rounded the corner.

She looked embarrassed, another expression foreign to a Weasley. Dominique usually stomped around much like Fred, Roxy and James, like she owned the place. But in her simple lace gown, on her father's arm, she looked positively scared.

"Hey Lena," James hissed, having slipped back into his seat...well after forcing Lily over one. "When'd you get here?"

"Oh flew in about an hour ago," Elena replied casually, her voice a bit high pitched. Her eyes flicked over to the alter again, but not on the couple who was now joined by the hands, but at the groomsman who couldn't take his eyes off of her. "Bit of a surprise really."

"Louis is pissing himself," James giggled, waving grandly to Lou. I grabbed his wrist and yanked his arm down as several people turned away from the ceremony to look at his grand action.

"I can see that," Elena squeaked again.

"Stuff it, James," I ordered as he opened his mouth to speak again. "Talk after the ceremony." He gave me a small glare but shifted into silence, pouting a bit after being told off.

The ceremony was simple and foreign, following Muggle traditions. There were a few loud sniffles from Gran, Fleur, and Cam's Mum and Aunt when the vows were exchanged. They were different from what we were all used to. Handfasting bound the love of the couple in unbreakable gold links of magic but vows were spoken for all to hear how much they loved each other. It was intimate words that made me feel like I was intruding on a private moment. The way that they spoke to each other, like nobody was around, make me feel a bit hot under the collar. But then the muggle priest smiled and told Cameron that he could kiss his bride. Cameron followed suit enthusiastically, grabbing Dominique around the waist and kissing her with such fervor that she bowed slightly in his arms. I burst into applause like the rest of the tent and stood as the bridal party made their way back up the aisle. James still looked a bit pouty but gave a small smile and applauded none the less.

Not minutes after the party left the tent, waiters began to circle the crowd with trays of champagne. James grabbed two and downed one immediately, much to my confusion.

"What," I laughed, grabbing the second one from his hands before he could drink it down. "Don't believe in love anymore? Weddings are supposed to be happy."

"When'd you become not fun?" James questioned lightly. I blinked at him. "A year ago you would've been right with me making fun of Louis' face but instead you shush me like an old maid."

"Oi," I declared, giving him a small glare. "Dominique would've killed you if you continued on being loud like that. I'm more than happy to take the mickey out of Lou now. There's a place and time, mate. Calm the hell down."

James shrugged slightly and snatched the flute of champagne that Missy was trying to sneak, sipping it defiantly when she gave a small shriek of indigence. I looked around to see if Elena was going to scold her sister again but she was mysteriously gone.

"Speaking of Louis," James muttered, his small diva moment seemingly forgotten when he followed my gaze. "He's going to flip if she's left without a 'hello'."

"Did she leave?!" Kaylie exclaimed, rushing over.

"I don't know," I shrugged, handing her the rest of my flute. She pouted slightly before turning to James and grinning.

"You made a lovely flower girl, pet," she simpered, sipping the drink and fluttering her eyelashes slightly. James made an ugly face and yanked the flower circlet that was still in his hair. He plopped it into Kaylie's curls and slipped an arm around her waist.

"I swear the titch planned the whole thing to embarrass me," he grumbled, leaning down and planting a kiss into Kaylie's hair. She was glowing. I could feel her happiness inside my very core. She's been rather chipper today. She wrapped her arms around James and propped her chin on his chest, looking up at him with big eyes. Even though we don't necessarily feel each other's emotions anymore I could still feel hers a part of me, in the very back of my mind. It was like the part of my brain that kept me breathing. It was just there. The small spark of desire, the glowing happiness. I shuddered slightly at the content, as I tried to focus on it more. It seems like whatever they were going through two weeks ago was over. As disgusted as I was for prying into her mind and subsequently feeling desire for James, I couldn't help but feel relieved that they were over whatever it was they were going through.

* * *

**A/A: HUGE chapter coming up. Will James see the errors of his ways? Will there be another wedding in the future. I promise this story has a happy ending. Who knows how fast it'll take to get there or what the main conflict will be? Well I do of course but this is all for your entertainment. And remember...you all asked for this sequel. **

**Chocolate Frogs,**

**Emily**


	6. Chapter 6

"C'mon!" I begged, yanking at James' hand. "Your Mum didn't teach you to dance for nothing."

James wrinkled his nose and took a sip of scotch. He grimaced slightly and set it back down at the table before yanking my arm so I would fall into his lap. He wound his arms around my waist and propped his chin on my shoulder after kissing it lightly.

"Have I told you that you looked gorgeous tonight?" James questioned, carefully feeling the curves of my arse through the thin fabric of my dress. I squirmed slightly, batting at his hands, but grinned at his affection nonetheless.

"No, but you _can_ follow up that statement with a dance," I tried, turning my head and connecting our lips lightly. The dinner went by quickly, punctuated by toasts from Victoire and Cameron's best man, Nathan. Then Cam and Dom had their first dance to a haunting song with just a guitar. After that the floor opened up to everyone else. It was a lively mix of both live music and a DJ as Cameron's band took breaks to enjoy the wedding themselves. While the first couple of songs went off, I had to go take group pictures. I have no idea where James went off to during then because I didn't immediately find him when I got back. I eventually noticed him sitting at Fred's table with his brother, nursing one of his favorite drinks.

Al and his boyfriend had long since abandoned us to dance on the wooden floor lain on the sand and Adder and Fred were snogging at the back end of the table. I hefted a sigh. Usually James was all for dancing because it meant he got to be up against me in public (I wish it wasn't for those archaic of reasons, but let's face it...this was James) but tonight he wasn't having it. In fact when I asked him to dance initially he gave me a mischievous smile as he turned me down. A smile that I've seen one too many times and never meant any good.

"If he won't dance with you, I will," one of Cameron's groomsmen exclaimed from the next table over. I gave him an alarmed look and he shrugged with a slight smirk. I think his name was Tanner. "Ditch the bump on the log, baby."

I felt a low grunt against my back as James glared at him darkly. So now he was getting over protective? Well if he wasn't going to dance with me... I gave James a small laugh and disentangled myself from him. I stood and gave James a pointed, and hard, kiss on the lips before offering my hand to Tanner.

"But-" James whined. I silenced him with a look.

"It'll be one dance and by then you can get over whatever is making you grumpy and come and cut in," I declared. "Oh and whatever you're planning don't even think about it. This is Dom's wedding. She'll never forgive you if you do anything to ruin it."

James went slightly slack jawed at me calling him out but he grinned wolfishly a second later.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered innocently.

"Yeah well," I started, brandishing a finger at him. "Whatever we're not talking about-don't do it, James Sirius Potter. I mean it."

"Little brother?" Tanner questioned innocently, leading me to the dance floor and giving me a quick twirl. I laughed and allowed him to put his hands on my waist as we moved to the music.

"Nope, boyfriend." I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Don't usually kiss my brother like that."

"Seems like you baby him," he announced, pulling me back and dipping me. I laughed and pushed the feeling of horror that built in my chest at his words.

"He's just a bit mischievous, is all. Doesn't need much babying," I partly lied. I mean he didn't. He just did one of the most adult things ever and asked for a promotion. You don't just ask for a promotion unless you were mature enough to do so, right? I was about to say something else in defense for James when a horrified shriek sounded through the tent.

"IN MY CHAMPAGNE!? HONESTLY! YOU PUT THE RING IN MY CHAMPAGNE!" Adder declared, holding the offending glass in Fred's face. Fred only smiled sheepishly.

"I've told you ten million times no! What makes you think I'll say yes to the most clichéd move in the freaking book, Weasley?!"

"Well I've already tried three other times this week; I'm running out of ideas here. Am I guessing that it's finally a yes?" Fred questioned with a grin. Adder made an unintelligible declaration of anger and upended the glass on his head before turning around and stalking towards the tent entrance.

"I can permanently stick it to your finger if that's a bit more original?!" Fred shouted, chasing after her.

"What the hell," Tanner breathed looking back at me. I merely grinned and turned to his dad who looked more amused than ever.

"Bill owes me ten galleons! I told him he would try again tonight," he declared, ignoring the smack to his shoulder that Angie sent his way over the currency mention.

"Well I suppose we can take this time to clear the floor for the father daughter dance," the DJ announced awkwardly over the mic.

"I'll leave you to your boyfriend," Tanner announced, taking my hand and kissing it lightly. "It was very awesome dancing with you. If you ever decide to ditch the ball and chain give me a call."

I laughed and brushed some hair over my shoulder.

"Don't think that's going to happen any time soon," I replied before thanking him again and picking my way back towards where I left James. Al and Chris were back but it was devoid of James this time. Dominique and Bill slowly twirled around the floor and soon it was being joined by other fathers and daughters. Teddy had Violet on his shoes and was making clumsy circles. Ginny carefully bumbled by with Arthur. George had grabbed Roxanne and was forcing her to twirl garishly around the room, much to her embarrassment. I sighed. This was just as hard to watch at Vic's wedding. Mum, who was actually able to come to that one, just sat there and held my hand as I watched helplessly at something I could never take a part in.

"Care to dance, Kay?"

I blinked in surprise as Harry offered me his hand. Furtively I looked around for Lily but Harry merely grinned and pointed to where she was sitting across the room, swaying to herself.

"She's released me for this round," he explained, shaking his hand a bit. I gave him a small smile and took the proffered hand, allowing him to lead me to the floor. In a way this fit. Even though James was my boyfriend, Mr. Potter has acted like a father to me and Kent in many ways. Ever since we were thirteen he's welcomed us every holiday into his home and family with open arms, not even questioning it a bit. So yeah, it didn't occur to me that this could work too.

"How're you doing, Kaylie?" he questioned, his eyes sharp behind his glasses. I grinned and brought a hand up to tuck some hair behind my ears.

"Great!" I declared. He frowned slightly and shook his head.

"You look exhausted," he commented lightly. "I've heard you've been working a lot."

"Well-it's been a busy month. Juggling work and the wedding. I'm sure it'll calm down a bit now that it's over," I assured. Harry pursed his lips and twirled slowly. It was a short while before he spoke again.

"And James? How's everything there. You two have been living together for about a month or two now."

"Everything's great!" I exclaimed hurriedly. My past problems with James wasn't something I was looking to discuss with his dad.

"I'm pretty good at detecting lies. I mean I did raise, James," he laughed.

"Well we were having some adjustment problems," I admitted. "I didn't know if he was as invested in our future as I was. But then he asked for that promotion and I'm not worried about it anymore. He's showed me he's looking to take a step forward, in the very least."

Harry's brow furrowed slightly as the song came to a close. I gave him a hesitant look.

"I didn't know he asked for a promotion at work," he commented, escorting me back to my seat.

"I didn't either, until last night. George said that it wasn't in the books right now but I'm sure that once the Christmas season picks up it'll be more manageable. It was the thought that I cared about, really." I explained. Harry smiled huge and gave me a small peck on the cheek.

"Well just know that we love you, Kaylie. Ginny and I. You and Kent are family and always will be."

"Of course I know that," I laughed, turning as Dominique hastily grabbed my arm from behind. I bid Harry goodbye and turned to her.

"We're about to cut the cake and extra plates are still in the house," she exclaimed, patting at her perfectly pinned back hair.

"Breathe, Dom," I laughed, giving her a small pat on the arm. "I'll go grab them."

"Thank you," she sighed, smiling as someone came up to wish her congratulations. I took this as my bid for goodbye and turned to head towards the house.

"There you are!" James exclaimed, intercepting me on the way. I smiled and accepted the hard kiss his pressed on my lips. "Where you off to beautiful? Sneaking off to the house? Don't you need me for that?"

"Oh save it for later," I laughed, patting him on the cheek. "I have to go get plates. Dom says they're going to cut the cake."

James' eyes lit up. He circled me tight around the waist and kissed me hard again. I don't know what was making him so giddy. Part of me hopes it's the atmosphere. The dreamy side of my mind wonders if he looks at these surroundings and sees it in our future someday. I know he's not ready now but it's clear we both don't want anyone else, so it's bound to happen one day.

"What do you think ours will be like?" I questioned spontaneously. James frowned slightly and brushed some hair that was blowing in my face.

"What? Our wedding?"

"Well yeah," I laughed. "I know it's not going to be for a while but being in the situation has to make you think about it, right? A while could be five years. I mean we have to be married before thirty-five at least."

"Whoa," James declared. "We're putting a time limit on it, now?"

I frowned slightly and James' face faltered.

"I think whatever happens will be lovely because it'll be me and you," he declared quickly. "But I think putting a cap on how long until it'll be takes the magic out of it."

"Right," I announced, accepting his kiss.

"I love you and only you. That's all it's ever going to be for me," he continued once he pulled away. "Why worry about the details now. We're already going to be together forever."

"Kaylie!" Dominique called from the dessert table. James gave her an impatient look before looking back at me.

"I love you, KayKay," he repeated. I gave him a small smile and slipped out of his arms.

"I love you too," I replied. "But I have to go get those plates."

James grinned again and released the hand he grabbed when I twisted out of his hold. I picked my way over the sand and back towards the cottage. Pulling open the door, I trekked into the quiet kitchen and over towards the mud room. I froze slightly as there was a shuffle behind it. The door burst open quickly, causing Elena and Louis to spill out looking distinctly disheveled. Elena blushed furiously and tugged down at her dress.

"So this is where you two disappeared to. And here I thought you were going to leave without even saying hello to me, Lena," I commented with a small raise of my eyebrow. "Lou, your fly is undone."

Louis turned Gryffindor red and turned around to fix himself as Elena gave me a sheepish look.

"You look lovely," she crooned, reaching out and fiddling with my hair. I swatted her hand away and rolled my eyes. "Shall we catch up?"

"Save it. I expect a full report on how your tour has been so far-but later. They're about to cut the cake. I've just come to get plates," I laughed.

"We should probably show up to some part of the reception," Louis groaned, holding his hand out to Elena. She smiled slightly and took it. "But the plates are in the living room, Kay."

"Right-tell Dom to keep her knickers out of her arse. I'll be right there."

Louis and Elena took off in a flurry of giggles as I made my way towards the living room door. I was about to push it open when the voices inside stopped me. They were talking about James. Carefully, I pressed my ear against it, the curiosity too much to control.

"James didn't ask you for a promotion, did he?" Harry questioned.

"What?" George stated with a small laugh. "Why do you ask? Did we need to be dragged away from the party for a conversation about James' lack of responsibility did we?"

"See, I knew he didn't," Harry groaned. "When Kaylie mentioned it I got suspicious. Vic said they were having problems when she, Teddy and Violet were over for dinner the other night so I asked how things were. She said they were better now that he took some step towards making a better future for them even if you did deny him the position."

"Deny him the position," George scoffed. "Harry, I offered it to him. He flat out turned it down. I gave him the opportunity, welcomed it really, because he would be a bloody brilliant developer but he said no."

There was a large sigh.

"Don't worry, Harry. One day he'll grow up," George offered.

"When? I mean maybe Gin and I coddled him too much? Gave him too many openings to things. Without Kent and Kay where would he be? Living at home? No job? Coasting off of our family's opportunities? Not that he isn't doing that already."

"Harry," George sighed. "He is fortunate that he wasn't forced to grow up like we were. So he's prolonging adolescence? One day he'll get a kick in the arse and realize that he needs to take some responsibility. He'll get there. Give him more time."

I froze. It was like all the air had been sucked from my lungs. After all the fights. All the petty arguments. All the stupid things we've gone through in seven years, one thing has been constant. We don't outright lie to each other. Not about the big stuff. We've always been glaringly honest, to the point of it causing more fights sometimes but in the end it's always been for the better. We learned our lesson when it came to lying when we were fifteen and didn't talk for a few months because of it.

But he lied to me. He outright lied to me. He let me be so proud of him and for what? To get laid? I mean he didn't stop me for congratulating him in that way! I blindly turned on my heel and made my way back towards the tent. My mind was racing a million miles per second. I could hear my blood rushing to my ears. I didn't even know if I was mad yet. I should be. Every logical bone in my body should be furious with him. Every logical bone in my body should want to rip him to shreds but I felt empty.

I reached the mouth of the tent as Dominique and Cameron grinned for a picture. The flash went off as they pushed the knife in the cake and an explosion sounded. Wait-an explosion shouldn't sound. People were shrieking and cake was everywhere. Dominique was frozen, her hands splayed out wide and her face covered in icing. I blinked as the chaos calmed down. Half the guests were covered in cake and icing. Most still didn't know what was going on. Kent was to the right, frowning at the ground. I followed his sight to the thin, burnt, black line trailing out from under the table. My mouth dropped as I looked up at the ceiling. Lazily two white wedding bells hung in the air, sparkling under the lights strung up in the tent. A Wizbang Firework-specialty one by the sight of it. Dominique slowly looked up too and her jaw locked. But before she could even shriek someone had discretely vanished it with their wand.

"Well," Cameron declared, scraping icing off his cheek. "I was going to smash it in your face but this works."

The muggle guests, still silent in shock, suddenly laughed and began to grab napkins from the tables. But our side knew what it was, most importantly we knew who it could be and Fred had already left in chase of Adder. But even Fred, I don't think, would do something like this. Something so magical in front of so many muggles. Nor do I think he would do something like this to Dom. Which only left one person.

And that numb was intensified as Dominique's words from two weeks ago flooded back to me. The simple warning came crashing down around me, shattering into a million pieces at my feet. It was too late for James to catch up. I've outgrown him and this. I've outgrown the pranks. I've outgrown taking care of him. This realization alone made me feel a crippling panic inside. It hurt to even breathe at this moment but I was so tired. The thought of having to clean up a mess he made yet again made me want to curl up into bed for days.

And then the fact that he lied to me came blaring to the forefront of my mind. Weren't we past the secrets? Weren't we at the point where we could just talk about it? Couldn't he just tell me that he didn't want this? I mean if he explained why, I could try to wrap my brain around it. But he just lied. He lied to me.

"Kaylie!" Dominique exclaimed, hurrying over to me, her eyes livid. "Where the hell is your boyfriend so I can wring his neck?"

"Dom," Cameron sighed, grabbing at her hand.

"I'm so sorry, Dom," I began, feeling my voice crack slightly. "I knew he was planning something. I mean I guessed. He looked devious-like he did in school. I told him not to do anything. I should've stuck by him and stopped him before he could."

"Yeah, maybe you should've!" Dominique snapped. "Now I've got like seventy muggles to clean up and probably some memories to modify. Who knows how many people saw a firework brush against canvas and not burn it?"

"Dom, baby," Cameron started again, a bit more sharply this time. "It wasn't Kaylie's fault for what James did. Let's just chalk this up to something we'll laugh at later in life...well way later in life, it looks like."

Dominique let out a small huff of breath and wiped at the hardening icing on her cheek. Cameron leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"You taste delicious, Mrs. Hutchinson," he declared grandly. "Can we enjoy our wedding without you killing your cousin? Do it when we get back from the honeymoon."

Dominique melted a bit and thumbed some cake off of Cameron's forehead before leaning forward and kissing him.

"Right-married bliss now, homicide later," she agreed, giving me a hard smile and turning back to take care of her guests. I was about to join her for ultimate damage control when I noticed a shadow on the other side of the tent. And suddenly all the pain I felt from my realizations hardened and I took off. Picking up speed as I barreled down the sand dune, I had reached a good momentum by the time I'd reached the form of my doubled up boyfriend.

He stopped laughing when he saw me and was forced to catch my arms because I couldn't stop myself between my sand and my wedges.

"Whoa! What's with the speed, Nimbus Infinity?" he declared, his eyes still alight with laughter. I pushed his hands off of my arms and took a step back from him. That made his smile falter. "Oh, you're pissed."

"Pissed doesn't even begin to cover it, James!" I exclaimed. "How could you?!"

"It was just a prank," James shrugged, defensively.

"A prank! Doing magic in front of muggles isn't a prank! It's against the law!"

"It was hardly magic!" James countered. "Nobody that wasn't important saw that firework before I got rid of it. And Dom's face was priceless. Maybe she'll loosen up now and realize that this is about her marriage to Cameron and not about the party itself."

"That's not the point! This isn't your party, James! This is an important event! You're not in school anymore! There is a time and a place for things," I exclaimed, feeling my sanity and grip on the situation slowly slip away.

"Yeah, so Kent says too," James replied darkly. "What's with you two? You used to be all for this kind of stuff."

"Don't you get it?!" I almost laughed. "This isn't Sunday dinner or a start of term prank. This is life! You can't just do this stuff anymore!"

"What stuff?! I can't be me?"

"That's not what I said! You're twisting my words," I exclaimed.

"Why are you trying to change me so much lately?! Why are you trying to push ideals on me that are suddenly coming out of nowhere!? Why are you changing?!" James almost exploded.

"No! Don't you _dare_ turn this on me! You're the one that's been lying to my face! I know that your uncle offered you a position and you turned it down! Why would you lie and tell me you asked when it was the complete opposite?"

"Because you wouldn't leave me alone if I told you anything otherwise! I tried to but then you started blowing me and-"

"Stop. Right. There. Potter!" I growled, clenching my hands at my sides. "Don't you _dare_ try to say that you declined telling me the truth because you were getting a blow job. That only makes you spineless. So if we have sex it's suddenly okay to lie? Is that what it is? I'm sorry, but things don't fucking work that way!"

"Well if you weren't so tired all the time I wouldn't have to lie before getting any because I would've already gotten some," James declared harshly.

"STOP IT! JUST STOP IT!" I shrieked, feeling the angry tears build up behind my eyes. "Stop acting like a child! Why can't you just grow up and take some responsibility for yourself! I mean I get that you can't take any in your life as it is but at least have enough to admit to your actions!"

James opened his mouth to say something else but I gave an indigent shriek which cut him off.

"I'm so tired of picking up after your messes. Of cleaning up your problems. I'm tired of making excuses for you. I'm tired of having to defend you for something that should already be done by your age! I'm exhausted! Can't you see that, James? Can't you see what you're doing to me?! All I wanted was the same effort from you that I'm giving. All I wanted was the same respect from you that I give. But I can't do this anymore. I don't have anything left to give, you've taken it all. I have nothing left for you. I don't know what to do anymore but it's not this. I'm done. You can't grow up and I can't keep taking care of you. I'm your girlfriend, not your mother, and frankly I don't know how we're going to fix this one."

And then the sobs really started. James' jaw locked. He made no effort to come forward and comfort me, I don't know if I'd let him if he tried. So when I turned on my heel and stumbled away I was relieved when I didn't hear him follow.

* * *

**Kent**

* * *

"So we're sure _James_ was the one that exploded the cake?" Lizzie questioned, picking at the leftover piece I managed to scrape together for her. Her parents were there but Lizzie was called into work tonight and couldn't make the reception, just the ceremony. She sat rigid as I told her the whole fiasco.

"Well who else would it be. I mean Fred, yeah, but he was gone by that point. Proposed again. But something tells me _even_ he wouldn't pull that," I shrugged, loosening my tie. The party went back into an upswing after that. Cameron explained it was a prank and everyone laughed. They danced. They got drunk. They forgot about the whole thing. Well the muggles did. We, the family, knew what happened. Ginny and Grandmum Weasley were livid but somehow nobody could find James after the whole thing went down. Which frankly was odd on its own. James loves to bask in the glory of a prank well pulled-no matter how much trouble he gets into. So for him to not even gleefully deny it was odd.

"What about Kaylie," Lizzie snorted. "I bet she flipped."

I frowned. Come to think of it. I didn't see Kay after everything either. The last I saw of her was heading towards the house to get plates. Dom mentioned that she needed to apologize to her after the wedding finished without a hitch but she wasn't around for the rest of the night.

"I have no idea. I mean maybe she dragged James home as punishment?" I suggested with a small shrug. "They seemed to have made up though. They were all glowy today."

"Weddings do that to people," Lizzie laughed, frowning at a marzipan rose and chucking it in the sink. "They get all mushy and adorable."

She lifted the fork to take another bite but paused as the doorbell rung.

"I'll get it," she sighed, tossing her plate on the counter and heading to the foyer. There was a quiet moment before she stalked past the kitchen and straight to her room.

"Liz?" I questioned, starting after her but freezing when I noticed who was at the door. James stood in the living room, shaking slightly and looking manic. I peered around him to the hallway. There stood two suitcases and several cardboard boxes.

"I'm packing a bag for the night!" came Elizabeth's simple shout, something I'd already figured out for myself.

"James?" I questioned hesitantly. He opened his mouth but snapped it shut, merely abandoning his stuff and pushing past me. He went into my room and slammed the door, the sound of it sealing magically close behind it.

So there I was, left in the middle of my living room, surrounded by all my mate's belongings and left to question what went horribly wrong. There was a large crash from my room, making me internally groan. James has always had a problem releasing his anger.

"James," I shouted, pounding on the door with my fist. "What the hell are you doing here?"

There was no answer only sound of shattering glass.

"Stop breaking my shit and talk to me!"

Something else broke. I tried unlocking the door with my wand but James had sealed it tight.

"I'm going over to their place," Lizzie piped up from behind me. I held up a finger and slammed my fist into the wood again.

"James Sirius Potter! Will you tell me what is going on?"

There was a large thud, a string of expletives, and then silence.

"James?" I tried again.

"We're going to get more out of Kaylie," Lizzie sighed. I thumped the door half-heartedly and pressed my forehead against the doorjamb.

"Liz and I are going round to your place," I announced carefully. "Before you can flip your lid I am not taking sides over whatever stupid argument you and my sister had. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm going to have to sleep on the couch until you two make up."

Lizzie grabbed my elbow as we stepped onto the landing, preventing me from turning on my heel in apparition.

"Do your freaky twin thing," she questioned. I frowned which only made Liz sigh in impatience. "So we know what sort of thing we're deliberately walking into."

"Right," I groaned, taking a deep breath and pulling the small part of my brain that's always tuned in on Kaylie to the forefront of my mind. It was faint because of the ultimate distance but I could feel the small pang of pain in the back of my head. "She's hurting?"

"Great, that's not completely obvious or anything," Elizabeth groaned, but grabbed my hand and turned around herself. I took a deep breath on landing and steadied myself. Lizzie seemed to skip the necessary step to breathe after apparition and was gasping for air while slamming palm against the flat's front door.

"Kaylie," I declared, shoving Lizzie aside and knocking firmly. There was no answer. I yanked my wallet out of my pocket and withdrew the spare key. "We're coming in!"

The living room was dark, the lamp by the couch knocked over. It was quiet; the only sound was the beating down of water in the direction of Kaylie and James' bedroom. Lizzie dropped her knapsack by the couch and briskly made her way towards the bedroom. I followed, stopping in the doorway and blinking. The room was in pieces. The drawers overturned and the blankets pulled from the bed to the floor.

"Kent," Lizzie shouted from the bathroom. "Go grab a towel from the closet."

I hesitated for a second but hefted a sigh and turned towards the large shared closet where Kaylie kept all the extra towels in a wicker basket. I froze again. The closet was also a mess. Hangers littered the floor. Kaylie's things were in heaps on the ground. Kaylie's old school trunk lay helplessly on its side with its top wide open. I fisted the terry cloth and turned back on my heel, knocking lightly on the partly ajar door.

"She's decent," came Lizzie's quiet reply. I poked my head in and almost had to turn around right then. The room was properly steamed up from the still running shower. Lizzie was perched on the toilet, her thumb nail worrying between her teeth. Kaylie-well there are only a few times in my life that I've seen my sister completely unhinged. When our Dad died. When we all got in that ridiculous fight at fifteen. And when it came out that Luke Masters was going to get off on a criminal insanity charge and live his life out in St. Mungo's instead of Azkaban. She doesn't usually shut down. She stands up and fights. There's a reason she's a Gryffindor. But there she sat with her knees pressed to her chest, still swathed in her bridesmaid dress, huddled under the steady stream of the shower. It made me feel like I was being stabbed repeatedly, seeing her like this. She didn't even look at us, just at a fixed point in the tile underneath her.

"KaylieKat," I sighed, pulling open the glass door and reaching inside. The water splashed along my wrist, soaking my dress shirt and making it stick to my skin as I twisted off the taps. Kaylie looked up in shock as the shower stopped running, blinking at me rapidly like she noticed me for the first time. "Let's get you out of there."

"I think I broke up with James," she declared slowly.

"Here," I commanded, holding open the towel and shaking it a bit. "Towel. Warm. Dry."

Kaylie merely shook her head and pressed her face harder into her knees.

"How long have you been in here?" I questioned hesitantly. Kaylie waved her hand at me, showing off her well pruned fingers.

"I got home from the wedding and the flat looked like this. All his stuff was just gone. I think I broke up with him."

"Kaylie," Lizzie offered, kicking off her sandals and crawling into the shower beside her. "I'm sure it was just a fight. He's over at our place right now. You can go talk to him. You two can work it out."

"He took all his stuff. I came home and it was all gone. He just left," Kaylie announced, pressing the heels of her hands into her eyes. I waved the towel at Lizzie who batted her hand in my direction. Internalizing a groan I tossed it on the counter and ambled in next to them. The water that had pooled on the bottom of the shower seeped through my slacks as I settled down and wrapped my arm around her shoulder.

"Why don't you try and talk to him," I offered gently. She pressed her sopping head into my shoulder and made a noise between a sob and a cat being strangled.

"Because I did and this was his answer. I told him that I couldn't do it anymore. I can't take care of him. I can't keep trying to have him keep up with me. He's rooted. He won't grow up and take responsibility for himself and I told him I was done. That I was too tired to try and put our pieces back together on my own," she declared, her words being garbled by the sobs that were growing more and more frantic. "And instead of staying and trying to help me put the pieces of us back together he left."

"Kaylie," Lizzie sighed, reaching around my arm and wrapping hers around Kaylie's body. "I think it's too fresh. You both just need to sleep the row off."

"I don't know," Kaylie declared, shaking her head and spraying my face with the water that clung to the strands. "I don't think it's fixable. I think Dominique was right. I think I outgrew him. I can't just sit around and wait for him to reach my level; it's not fair to me. If he doesn't want to make the change I can't force him to."

"KaylieKat," I groaned, pressing my cheek against the top of her head, ready to argue and call her overdramatic. Even as the words formed in my head I knew they were stupid. Calculating and stubborn were Kaylie. Overdramatic not so much.

"Kenneth," she announced with a large sob. "You're not going to change my mind. I gave him the chance to step up and fix it tonight and he chose to leave."

"I'll stay here with you tonight if you want," I offered.

"You can't choose sides," Kaylie declared through her hiccups. I reached down and grabbed the hand that was twisting the fabric of her wet dress and laced my fingers through hers.

"Kaylie, don't be daft. Yes, James is like my brother and I'd die for him but you're still my twin. Do you need me here? He wouldn't even let me in the room-when he needs me he'll say but right now I think you need me more."

Kaylie convulsed in sobs again and nodded, her fingers tightening around mine.

"Then let's all get dry," I announced, hefting Kaylie up with me and hoisting her shaking body into my arms.

"I don't have any pajamas!" Kaylie sobbed into my shoulder. "He took all his shirts."

"Got mine with me, you can wear those until we get you some new ones," Lizzie announced, yanking the towel from the counter and throwing it over Kaylie. "Let's get you changed."

I deposited Kaylie on the bed and picked my way into the closet, pointing my wand at the mess and sweeping it back into its rightful place. I was just hoisting Kaylie's trunk back on the upper shelf when Lizzie called from the kitchen.

"Want tea, Kent?!"

"Yeah," I shouted back, drying myself off with my wand and kicking off my shoes. Kaylie was curled in their queen sized bed, the blankets completely swaddled around her body. I threw my wallet and wand on the bedside table and yanked some covers over, sliding in next to her.

"So," I started, placing my hands behind my head. Kaylie only whimpered. "I'm not picking sides."

"I could never ask you to," came her muffled reply from under the covers. "Please don't try to."

"But I want you both happy," I continued. "And if being with him is making you sad that's the last thing that I want."

"It was getting so tiring," she announced thickly. "And he lied to me! He said he asked George for a promotion but it was actually was him turning down a promotion that George offered him. Then the whole cake fiasco-it was the last straw. I can't do it to myself anymore."

"But you two love each other," I sighed. "You two are the reason I haven't settled down yet. I just can't seem to find what you have."

Kaylie laughed, but lacking complete humor, a harsh dry sound.

"I guess you're doing it right because in the end love wasn't enough for us."


	7. Chapter 7

"Look," I stated with a small sigh. "I don't want to do this but I think it's time."

Kent looked miserable. I rolled my eyes and wound my hair into a bun, jabbing my wand through it to hold it in place. I, Elizabeth Alice Longbottom, was going to move this situation forward but to do that I needed Kent on my side.

Kent bit down on his thumbnail and looked back towards the bedrooms in our flat. It's been a week and nothing has changed. I've been drifting between staying with Kaylie and staying at my own place. When I wasn't here Kent was staying in my room because James still refused to come out of his and when I was here he was sleeping on the couch. Neither Kaylie nor James will talk to each other. Neither of them will really talk at all. Nobody but Kent, his Mum, and me knows what's going on.

Work is impossible for them because Kaylie is in no state to do whatever it is they do at work. As for James' family, they just thinks he's avoiding them all for the cake fiasco. This is turning into more of a debacle then Kent and I anticipated. We thought they would cool off and talk it out. But James just makes angry noises from the bedroom and Kaylie just cries.

With what she told me, I honestly think she made the right decision to confront him about taking responsibility for things. I love James, with all my heart. I've grown up with him. Our Dad's are best mates. I've bathed with the boy as a toddler. But it's only because of all that that I know the one thing James avoids like a plague. Change. He doesn't do change.

When he was younger it wasn't that big of a deal because change wasn't prevalent. He didn't need to change much while in school. He was good working towards graduation. It was a steady slope that didn't cause him to do much with himself except be carefree. But then once school was over we all moved on. We left Hogwarts. We moved on to careers that made us happy. Slowly but surely we grew up. And James, James just stayed. At first it wasn't a big deal. Nineteen was still an age at which it was acceptable to stay in a minimum wage job and not really care. But twenty-two? Twenty-two was too old to blow up a cake at a wedding and work with kids five years younger then you.

I think what hurts Kaylie the most is the fact that she was forced to make this choice for the good of herself and for her own well being. For the first time she is having to face being without the person that's been by her side since she was eleven. For the first time it's what's good for her and she doesn't want it to be.

They could've worked it out. I really think they could've. If Kaylie just learned to talk about the problems she was feeling instead of pushing it down and hoping it'll get better and if James was willing to work on himself and change for her. But they're both immovable walls of stubborn right now. Stubborn and pain and now that's it's festered just talking to each other isn't going to fix it.

"Kent," I sighed again. "It's obvious. You can't keep sleeping on the couch and I can't keep drifting back and forth. I'll move. It's what's going to work right now."

"Get him out of my room then," Kent relented, slumping against the back of the couch.

"Thought you'd never ask," I grinned, skipping over and kicking at the bedroom door with the toe of my trainer. "James!"

"Go away, Elizabeth!" came his shout.

"No! I'll blast the door down if I have to. I get that you're hurting, Jemmy. I know you're coming out for food but you can't avoid us forever."

"What?" James snapped, whipping open the door. "Do you want to yell at me for leaving? Because she didn't leave me much of a choice. I know you're all going to pick her side. I know you're all probably blaming me for this shit, but I hate to break it to you...she was the one that said she couldn't do it anymore. She was the one that said she was done. If she's so unhappy with us then me leaving is the _only_ option."

I blinked at him. His hair was peaked with grease. There were dark circles under his eyes, which were red and puffy, and he was still in his rumpled suit from the wedding. I felt my heart break just a little bit more.

"Oh, Jemmy," I groaned, yanking his shoulder and pulling him into a hug. He stiffened for a second before hesitantly wrapping his arms around my waist. "For one, only Kent and I know. It's your business when you want to tell people so forget this everyone talk. Two, we're not taking any sides. We would never choose between you two. Three, you look like shit. Four," I finished, pulling back for this one. "You're welcome to sulk as long as you need to but I'm just trying to get you out of _this _room. You're taking mine. I'm going to go move into your old flat. Kent really wants his room back."

"Lizzie," he groaned, pressing his forehead against the top of mine. I buckled slightly under the weight. "I don't know what went wrong. I don't know where she came from."

I bit my lip to hide the frown and pushed him off of me, grabbing his hand and yanking him towards the bathroom.

"You need to shower, you'll feel better. As for what went wrong? I think you need to think about it, Jemmy. I can't tell you what to do here. Nobody can. This is something you two need to fix on your own."

James paused in the doorway to the bathroom and gave me a pitiful look.

"I don't think it can be fixed. Even she said that. I don't think there's anything to think about."

Kent came up behind me with a helpless look on his face as the bathroom door shut.

"How do we fix it?" he questioned hesitantly. I groaned and turned to one of my oldest friends. This wasn't going to be easy on him, having to pick sides and play the middleman, but it was the only route we can take.

"We don't," I replied quietly. "We just be there and hope that they fix it on their own."

"What if they don't?" Kent questioned, running his fingers through the back of his hair. "What if they can't fix it now?"

"Then we move on, just like they eventually will."

* * *

**Kent**

* * *

"So, he comes bursting into my room at two in the morning and chucks the t-shirt at my head screaming about how it smells like her and I planted it there to try and coerce him to talking to her and then he burst into tears. Which he immediately tried to cover by stalking back to his room. Completely mad and it ridiculously breaks my heart. I mean it's been three weeks. I don't get why we can't go back to normal. At least he went to work today. Though I have no idea how that's going to go."

"Sounds rough," Caroline whistled, reaching over and grabbing a handful of popcorn from the cardboard container in my hands. "I mean they were like the 'it' couple in school. I'm pretty sure that it's going to take longer then a month for them to start even living again."

"True," I sighed, grabbing a kernel of popcorn and tossing it in the air. It missed my target and bounced off my forehead. Caroline giggled. "I just don't know what to say to him. I'm afraid to say anything wrong."

"Kent, you need to get out," Caroline groaned, tucking her dirty blonde hair behind her ears and jumping up on the edge of the curb. She held out her arms for balance and carefully moved one foot in front of the other. "It's really brilliant that you're trying to be there for them but you're going to go crazy. They have to mourn and then they'll slowly get back to normal. But you-you don't need to wait that long."

"What do you call now?" I laughed, quickly grabbing her waist as her foot slipped and she toppled off the edge of the curb. She looked at my hands real quick and raised one eyebrow, her nose crinkling slightly. "I'm out with you, Freckles."

"I meant like on a date. I have a mission after all," she declared, grabbing some popcorn and moving away. I frowned and busied myself with shoving some more into my mouth.

"I guess you have to find me a candidate first," I announced carefully.

"I'm working on it," Caroline shrugged, nudging my shoulder with hers. "Surprised you didn't try to pick anyone up at that wedding."

"Well they were all pretty much related to my flatmate. I've grown up with them. It would be like dating Elizabeth Longbottom."

"Yeah," Caroline sighed, plopping down on a bench. "There are a lot of them. They kinda ruled the halls and if they're not related they're close family friends. You all just kinda stuck around each other. So nix that idea, you'd probably choose a bad one anyways."

I froze mid bite and frowned, depositing my handful back into the popcorn carton.

"Where'd you say you went to school?"

Caroline grinned and cocked her head to the side.

"I didn't say where I went to school," she laughed.

"Well where did you go to school?"

"Where do most British Wizard's attend school?"

"No," I concluded. "You couldn't have gone to Hogwarts. I would've known you. I mean there's no way I couldn't have."

"Oh but you didn't. I was a total loner in school," Caroline exclaimed, brushing her fringe out of her eyes.

"What house?" I babbled. "What year?"

"Same year as Lucy Weasley. Same house," Caroline answered carefully. I quickly picked Lucy out of the line up and tried to pin what year she was in. Hufflepuff house for sure...two years behind me.

"Why didn't you say that you knew who I was?" I questioned finally. "Now I feel like an arse for never noticing you. I mean I still don't get how I couldn't have."

"Kent," Caroline giggled. "You were too busy ruling the school with James Potter and your sister to notice me. It's all cool though. I was a mad one. Dyed my hair horribly. Got a tattoo. Total rebel."

"You don't have a tattoo," I laughed.

"I do!" she exclaimed. "I wasn't a rebel but I did get a tattoo."

"Where?" I declared, grabbing her arm and searching it.

"Not anywhere you can see," she replied cheekily. "Don't worry about not noticing me. I thought you were a bit fat headed to make an effort anyways."

"I was not fat headed!" I exclaimed. "That was James and always will be. So you've known the whole time that my flatmate was Potter and that he broke up with my sister?"

I'd neglected telling her the whole story. Only that my flatmate was going through a really rough breakup. I figured it'd be too complicated to explain that it was my twin he'd broken up with and that I was in this awkward place in the middle. A little bit too much to lay on someone if you ask me.

"Of course," Caroline declared with a small eye roll. "I'm actually quite shocked that they were even still dating."

"If you spent time around them you wouldn't be. They were just so-perfect. Well not perfect. They just completed each other in all the right ways. I mean I had absolutely no say in what position they put me in by dating because frankly there was no stopping it. And now..."

"Kent," Caroline sighed. "Do you want to go check on James at work? We can pop over to the joke shop-you said he still works there, right?"

"Yeah," I replied quietly. "I should make sure he doesn't get himself fired."

"Doesn't a Weasley own the shop?"

"Yeah, but frankly I wouldn't be surprised if he cursed a customer. It's the busiest day of the summer for them since term starts on Monday and not really the best day to choose to go back. George basically told him he _had _to come in today since he couldn't be in."

"Then let's go," Caroline declared, standing up and offering her hand to me. "But you owe me Moppet."

I grabbed ahold of her hand so she could apparate us and forced the feelings that were bubbling up inside to quell. Yeah, I might fancy her a bit. She was nice to talk to and she made me laugh. It's been a while since a girl could keep me on my toes. She just was blatantly not interested in me, at all. Small problem, really. Because you know, I needed more problems in my life right now. Dealing with one faltering relationship clearly wasn't enough for me. I had to put myself in an unrequited situation-one I've sorely avoided all my life because they were frankly exhausting and not worth it. Bloody brilliant, Kenneth. Bloody brilliant.

* * *

**James**

* * *

"I've told you for the millionth time, we don't have any bloody Skieving Snackboxes! We're sold out!"

"James!" Fred exclaimed, grabbing hold of my shoulder as I took my inner turmoil out on a snotty little fifth year that thought they knew everything. I hated George for basically telling me I had to come to work today or look for a new job. He wasn't supposed to give me that ultimatum. I was family. Didn't he see that I was going through shit right now and the last thing I wanted to do was go to the bleeding joke shop. Martin and Lauren both eyed me apprehensively and quickly busied themselves when I glared back. "Back room, now."

I slammed the till drawer closed and stalked after Fred into the back room. Great, now I was going to get a lecture from my cousin. Just because his dad put him in charge today doesn't mean he can treat me like a child. He pointed to a chair and frowned when I gave a sharp shake of my head. He sharply took an intake of breath and just stared at me.

"Did you need anything?" I questioned. "We're awfully busy out there."

"Seriously," Fred snorted. "I'm surprised we're still busy. I'd have thought that you would've scared away all my customers by now. What is with you? Has Kaylie couched you for that prank you pulled last month? I mean while executed flawlessly it could've had a better venue. Only you would have the guts for that."

I stiffened and felt the ever tightening of my chest that's been present every waking hour for about a month. The anger surged to my fingertips and I had to hold myself back from breaking something.

"Oi!" Fredrick exclaimed, clapping a hand on my shoulder. I jerked away and turned towards the wall. I hadn't told anyone yet. I hadn't told anyone yet because if I did it'd be real. This is the longest we've gone without speaking for seven years. This is the longest time in twelve years that I've spent since even seeing her. I'm afraid to see her. I don't think I can look at her without bursting into tears-a fact I certainly wasn't proud of and defiantly not something I wanted her seeing. The thought of not holding her ever again made me feel physically sick. But then I remembered what she said to me. How she seemed so crazed at the thought of continuing our life together and I got angry again. It was a vicious cycle that I couldn't escape. Fred shook me a little.

"Did I hit a nerve? I mean just buy her flowers, that'll get you back in her good graces. But if it's been this long it's going to have to be like a Code 10 bouquet."

I felt my hands begin to shake. I wasn't going to be able to hold it in for much longer. I was either going to burst into tears or punch something. My emotions were getting harder and harder to contain. I felt so out of control. I groaned and reared back a fist, slamming it hard into the concrete wall. I felt my knuckles splinter at the contact. The pain almost was welcomed at this point. Anything was better then what I felt inside.

"James!"

"I can't talk about this!" I exclaimed, whirling around and expecting the exclamation to be from my cousin. Instead Kent stood in the doorway, his face aghast. "I can't just sit here and talk about this!"

"Well obviously punching things isn't going to do you any good," Kent pointed out with a small shrug. Fred was still staring at me with his mouth slightly open. "Maybe you should just let it out."

"Why are things being let out? I mean, is he in that much trouble over a bloody cake that he's getting physical?!" Fred spluttered, grabbing my fist and examining it. I'd split the skin on contact and blood was pouring down my wrist from my already swollen knuckles. Kent gnawed at his lip, eyeing me apprehensively.

"It's not just the cake," he declared suddenly.

"Kent!" I warned. His glare cut me off.

"Stuff it James," he groaned. "Mum knows because we obviously can't work right now. You're in the same boat. He has a right to know that you're dealing with something right now."

"Dealing with something? So you weren't just sick? Dad's going to skin you for skieving off.

"He and Kaylie split up," Kent exclaimed. The words cut into me like a knife. It was the first time hearing them out loud. Hearing them so final. "He moved back in with me. They haven't spoken in about a month."

Fred had dropped my hand by now, his frown deepening and his eyes wide.

"She dumped me," I declared. "Happy to hear that, Kent? She declared that I wasn't grown up enough. That she was tired of cleaning up my messes and couldn't do it anymore. She said she was done and left it at that."

"Jemmy," Fred sighed. What was with everyone using my childhood nickname with that tone of voice? "Do your parents know? I mean, I'm pissed you didn't tell me. It's me we tell each other almost everything but your Mum is going to have kittens."

"It's none of their business," I sniffed, feeling the panic rising in my chest. "I mean nothing is going to change it."

"Well maybe if you-" Fred started, but drifted off mid-sentence.

"She's better off without me. I don't need to be her dead weight. I don't need to hold her back. It's obviously just time. She changed and doesn't want me anymore."

I plopped down in the chair that Fred first offered me and buried my head in my hands.

"I get it now," I declared, feeling my nose start to burn. "I get that I can't be the person she wants me to be."

There was silence.

"James," Fred sighed, pulling up a chair next to me. "It's going to be okay. Not now obviously. But eventually. I mean every time Adder walks out on me I feel like dying but everything eventually works itself out."

"That's a really awful example," I groaned. "It's not going to be like you and Adder, Fred. You two break up weekly. This one...this is final."

"Well if you want to go back to your flat or something, that's okay," Fred offered. "I can handle things around here."

"No," I sighed. "I should just work. I can't sit and stew about it anymore. It's driving me insane."

"Maybe you shouldn't punch things. It makes you look even more mad," Kent admitted with a small laugh.

"I just couldn't," I groaned. "I still can't deal."

"Just talk to me, mate. It's what I'm here for," Kent declared with a small clap to my shoulder.

"It's not easy," I replied. "I don't know how to talk about it without falling apart."

"Just take it one day at a time," Fred suggested. "Just do me a favor and don't kill any of my customers, yeah?"

* * *

**Kent**

* * *

"So it's been building?" Fred questioned quietly. I nodded, handing the fifth year girl that seemed to be taking Fred's whole stock of Wonder Witch products her change.

"She said she can't take care of him anymore and I guess the wedding thing was the last straw. He apparently also lied to her _and_ left without talking it out. But Kaylie isn't completely innocent, either," I admitted, waving at Caroline across the store. She also got roped into working. "She could've really talked to him about how it was affecting her instead of picking at what he was doing. At least that's what Lizzie said. Kaylie would just try to fix James instead of telling him that he was hurting her in the long run. It all could've been fixed a month before the wedding but they didn't get the right hints."

"Fuck," Fred breathed out, tossing a bag at Martin to restock. "Of all the couples. How's Kaylie?"

"A wreck," I concluded. "She won't get out of bed until Liz or I force her to in order to eat or shower. I keep telling her to talk to him but she said that she meant what she said. That it's past talking and until James starts growing up a bit she can't deal."

"Well she has a point," Fred groaned. "James isn't the most mature bloke on this side of Diagon Alley."

"But she also is refusing to talk to him and let him know what's going on," I pointed out.

"This is a mess. Can't we just tell James that she won't take him back until he man's up?"

"I said that too," I admitted. "But Lizzie won't let me. She said that this is too big for us to try to fix. That they need to do the job themselves."

"I hate that Longbottom, always so smart and non-meddlesome," Fred grumbled, his eyes cutting to James. Now that he violently released his pent up feelings he just seemed listless and empty. The only redeeming factor was that he was out of the flat and talking to people. Well that and not breaking my stuff anymore. There's only so many times you can magically repair something without it's integrity and chemical makeup getting compromised.

My eyes dragged to Caroline. She was giggling with Lauren, while examining the 'Inflatable Butt Pants'. Fred followed my gaze and made a noise of approval in the back of his throat.

"Fit," he whistled, grinning at me. I grunted and brushed my hands on the seat of my pants. "What's her story?"

"Helping me find a non-clingy, non-mad girlfriend. And here's the twist. It's not a game where the end prize is her," I grumbled.

"Ouch," Fred snorted, hitting open the cash register with his fist and handing me a few sickles. "Go get her ice cream or something. She'll get whipped cream on her face and you can get it off-with your face. Works every time."

"Or she punches me in the face. Do you recognize her?"

"Why would I?" Fred questioned innocently.

"She went to Hogwarts?"

"What year?"

"Lucy's," I answered. Fred frowned for a second, cocking his head to the side and looking at her.

"Nope. She would've been a fourth year in my seventh so she couldn't come to the parties anyways," Fred concluded.

"I didn't notice her either," I groaned. "And she totally knew who I was. Which makes me a prat."

"Not a prat," James declared, keying in on the last part of our conversation as he meandered over. "It was a big school and you were two years above her."

"Are you actually conversing?" I questioned with a small smile. James merely lifted one shoulder in a shrug before pulling off his apron and jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the door to the flat.

"I'm taking my lunch," he announced, slipping into the stairwell. I watched him go and frowned.

"You should fix your hand," I shouted after him. He merely grunted in response. "So much for that."

"He's right though. It doesn't make you a prat. She's probably embarrassed about knowing who you were," Fred suggested. I shook my head.

"Freckles does not get embarrassed, that's for sure." I flipped the coins in my palm and gave Fred a small smile. "I am going to spend your money though."

I watched Caroline for a second, reaching up to a higher shelf to get an item down for a shorter customer. She shot him a dazzling smile and cut her eyes to me briefly.

"Oi Freckles!" I declared. She propped one hand on her hip, giving me an expectant look. "We've been paid."

"For what? Ten minutes of work?" She laughed, coming over and looking at the money in my palm. "We're millionaires."

"I say we go eat in style. I do owe you for the errand."

Fred snorted into his dust rag but covered it into a cough when I shot him a dirty look.

"I'm down." Caroline smiled, tugging at the hair tie that held back her ponytail. She ran her fingers through her hair as it tumbled down her shoulders. Fred poked me in the back as I stared and gave Caroline a toothy smile.

"You're a cheap date then," he declared. I stomped on his foot. He swore at me under his breath. Caroline didn't even miss a beat. She raised one eyebrow and flicked the mass of her hair over her shoulder.

"Oh," she stated casually. "He would know for sure if this was a date."

Again the stupid sinking feeling in my gut. Why can't I tell what she's thinking?

* * *

**Kaylie**

* * *

"Why is it so dark in here?"

"Kaylie, get up."

"Aunty Kay? You sick?"

"Did you have to bring Violet?"

"There was nobody else to sit for her!"

"Go away," I declared, pulling the blankets tighter around me and making sure I was completely under them.

"No, I left my honeymoon early for you. Get out of bed," Dominique declared.

"Dom," Lizzie sighed. "I literally have to get her to do things when she's fast asleep. It's not going to work."

"Well obviously you don't try hard enough, Elizabeth," Dominique snorted.

"Mummy," Violet piped up. "Is Aunty Kay sick?"

"Yes dear," Victoire sighed. There was the sound of rummaging. "Why don't you go color her a card?"

Violet squealed and then there was the sound of pattering feet.

"Get up," Victoire commanded. "Or at least come out of the covers."

"No," I declared again. "I'm staying here."

"Kaylie," Dominique groaned. "I don't have the patience for this. I'm too pissed that you didn't tell me. I mean, a month! You wait a month and I don't even find out from you!"

"Yes," I announced, flipping the blankets down and immediately covering my eyes as the sunlight assaulted them. "It was because I wanted to hear for the rest of my life about how I ruined your honeymoon. That was definitely on my to-do list."

"Kaylie," Dom sighed, the weight next to me shifting a bit. "This is a good reason to ruin my honeymoon."

"You look awful," Victoire exclaimed, pulling at my hands. "When was the last time you showered?"

"Last week," Lizzie piped up. "The last time I was able to get her out of bed."

"When was the last time you had a proper meal?" Victoire questioned next.

"Does toast and tea count as a proper meal?" Liz countered.

"No," Dom and Vic answered simultaneously.

"Then a month."

"You've been living off of toast and tea for a month?!" Victoire shrieked. "Do you want to die of malnourishment?"

"I'm fine," I argued. "I just haven't been hungry."

"Up," Dominique commanded. "You're going to shower and Vic is going to cook. And by shower I mean everything. Shave, hair, all the bits. Then you're going to put on real clothes."

"I don't want to," I argued, pulling the covers up over my shoulders and burrowing into my pillow. "I just want to lay here. How'd you find out anyways? I wasn't telling everyone for a reason."

"Fred," Dominique and Victoire declared simultaneously again. "He's worried about you."

"Why would Fred be worried about me?"

"Because we all care about you!" Dominique snorted. "Just because you broke up with James doesn't mean we don't love you."

I felt the ice run through my veins and the tears that always seem to be just _there_ spill over my cheeks. I hadn't heard it yet. It didn't sound good. I didn't like it. It hurt. I may have broken up with James, but he still left. He walked out and didn't stop to think about just fixing what we were going through. I'd never felt so abandoned in my life.

"Oh Kaylie," Victoire sighed. "This isn't like you. When you're upset you organize not shut down. You throw yourself into things."

"I just don't have the energy to do anything," I wailed, covering my face with my hands. "I don't want to do anything."

"But anything has to be better then just laying here and thinking about it over and over again," Dominique pointed out. "You broke up with him for a reason, right? Because you felt like he was holding you back? Well guess what, you're holding yourself back right now."

"Dom," Lizzie sighed. "I don't think she wants to hear that right now."

"No, Liz," Dom declared. "You've coddled her enough. It's okay that it hurts. It's okay that she's sad. But wallowing isn't going to get her anywhere. Lying on the same sheets for a month is frankly just gross and she's better then this. She's a survivor. She's not just going to kneel down and die. I won't let her."

"Jeeze," I groaned, the tears still winding down my face. "It's not like I'm coming back from a terminal illness. Though it feels like it."

"You're getting up and showering and putting on real clothes," Dominique commanded, yanking the sheets off of me. "And you're going back to work tomorrow."

"That I can't do," I exclaimed, fighting off the urge to burst into tears again and curse Dominique at the same time. "It's complicated but I can't go back to work until my mind is one hundred percent healed. It's too dangerous."

"Well then request for transitional. Do something! Get out of bed, talk to real people. Live again, Kaylie," Dominique declared, waving her arms wildly.

"And you call me dramatic," Victoire snorted. "But as overtly stated as it was, she's right dear. You need to take baby steps and lying in bed is no steps at all."

"James did it," Dominique piped up. Lizzie and Victoire both wheeled on her with small glares. "He went to work at the shop. He got up and out. Maybe you should too?"

"That's definitely not necessary for her to hear," Vic hissed, smacking her sister across the arm. Dominique opened her mouth to speak to her but my mind had gone numb. It was like white noise.

He didn't care. He'd started his life again. He wasn't as torn up about this as I was. He was moving on. While all together crippling it made me flare up a bit inside. We were together for seven years and he didn't even try to follow after me. He just gave up. Seven years! It was practically common-law marriage. Seven years doesn't entail someone just giving up! After seven years he should be fighting! I wasn't worth the fight, I guess.

"Kaylie," Lizzie declared, breaking me from my fog. She crawled next to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "It's okay, love. It's going to be hard getting out of bed. Remember when Dylan broke up with me sixth year? I was a wreck. I mean he was my first boyfriend. But you did the same thing to me that we're doing to you right now. You told me that he wasn't worth failing out of school for. While this might've been more meaningful, no guy is worth failing out of life for. I'm going to be here to help you the whole way and one day you'll wake up and it won't hurt anymore."

"When?" I questioned thickly. "Because I don't think it's ever not going to hurt anymore."

"I don't know," Lizzie shrugged. "It's different for everyone."

"But it'll happen," Victoire added, having abandoned her fight with her sister. "One day. And our family isn't going anywhere. I promise nobody is going to choose sides."

"I can never go to Sunday dinner again," I sniffed.

"Sure you can," Vic crowed. "Just note that for a while you're going to have to come when James isn't there. I don't think that's a good idea for anyone."

"Now, shower?" Dom questioned. "Liz will change the bed and Vic will cook. I think it's time you get out of bed, love."

I looked around at the faces surrounding me. Lizzie has been so lovely. Throwing me in the shower with pajamas on to make sure I was somewhat clean. Bringing me food during the day to make sure I didn't starve myself. Going out and getting me a bunch of different pajamas. When Kent wasn't here she was. And now Vic and Dom were here. Dom left her honeymoon early for me. If I turned right around and refused to get out of bed I would be making that sacrifice null and void. I couldn't go and spurn my only allies thus far.

And what she said was right. I broke up with James because I wanted a better life for myself. I wanted a life where I didn't have to take care of someone like I was their mother and grow as a person. But by staying in bed I was stunting myself. I was holding myself back. I've been crying for almost a month and I think it might be time to run out of tears.

"Right," I nodded, scrubbing at my wet cheeks with the heel of my hand. "Shower."

"Good," Dominique declared with a clap of her hands. "And I'm picking out shorts so you might want to shave your legs."

"You're a nightmare," I grumbled, climbing out of bed and making my way into the bathroom.

"I prefer motivational," Dominique shouted after me.

I twisted on the shower and turned to look at myself as the water warmed up. My hair was a greasy rat's nest. My eyes were hollowed, yet red and puffy. I looked pallid and I'd definitely lost weight. It wasn't me in the mirror anymore. But then again I wasn't really me without James. He's so a part of me. Every time I fall asleep he's there and it's driving me insane. Every bit of me wants to go to him and tell him I'm sorry and that I want him back-but then I remember that doing that isn't going to make me happy. It'll bring him back to me but it'll also bring the fights and the anxiety. So I want to break down all over again because the very person I want to make it all better is the reason I'm a mess.

"I don't hear you showering!" Dominique shouted from the bedroom. I resisted chucking a perfume bottle at the door and peeled the flannel pajamas off my skin. I love Dom but I want to strangle her because every time she speaks it's like bullets to my head.

The water hurt. Beating down upon my skin like needles. It was hot but the way it touched my skin left a branding chill on my body. It was like being sick. Every joint hurt as I moved it. Every piece of me was falling apart. I couldn't even find the effort to continue what I started anymore. I slowly slid down the cold tile wall until I was curled on the floor, the water hitting the back of my neck. I felt my very core begin to shake. It was easy to say I wanted to try and take baby steps for them but why was the first step looking like a gigantic leap?

* * *

**A/A: Nobody likes this story. **


	8. Chapter 8

"AL! Give me back my earrings! I need to pack them for tomorrow!"

"Say it then!"

"Are you eighteen or eight, you idiot! Those are my sensory earrings! Without them, I can't become in tune with the flowers by Hagrid's house!"

"Say it, Goblin," Albus declared, flicking his wand to the side and sending the pair of earrings out of Lily's reach as she jumped off the couch to grab them. She pushed her hair off her face and let out a grunt of frustration. I blinked at the sight, a rather familiar one, and sighed. "Just say that Nargles don't exist and you can have them back."

"Why would I say something so preposterous?! You have twenty flying around your head right now! Can't you hear the buzzing," Lily exclaimed climbing on the back of the couch so she could jump for the earrings again.

"Give them back Al," I groaned, waving my hand in his direction. I so didn't want to be here right now. This was too much socializing to even be something I would think of doing at the moment. But if I didn't go Mum would nag me for ages about missing Lily's off to school dinner. Albus blinked at me, dropping his wand and allowing the earrings to fall to the floor.

"What?" Albus questioned with a small snort. I shrugged at him and stooped down to scoop up the earrings, which were distinctly shaped like chickens, and handed them back to Lily. She was still perched on the back of the couch, looking at me with a bewildered expression.

"You're just so loud," I grunted, turning away from their confused looks.

"Mum!" Lily shouted, jumping off the couch. "I think James is sick!"

"What?" Mum questioned, coming out of the kitchen while wiping her hands on a dishtowel. "You're not feeling well, love?"

"No," I groaned. "I'm feeling fine."

"He just told Albus to stop picking on me," Lily piped up. "I think something is seriously wrong with him."

"That is out of character, James. You sure you're feeling all right?" Mum grinned, coming over and standing on her tiptoes to give me a kiss hello. "Where the hell have you been? You haven't even sent word for a month. Are you too good to talk to your parents? I was just about to send your Dad around with a search party."

"No," I sighed. "I've just been busy."

"George said you've been calling out of work," Mum put in.

"I wasn't feeling well then. I'm better now," I put in quickly. The conversation was steering into a dangerous territory. "Where's Teddy?"

"Office with your Dad. Victoire and Violet should be here soon," Mum shrugged, turning around and heading back into the kitchen. Albus and Lily continued to give me queer looks, prompting me to take off down the hallway towards Dad's office. I knocked on the doorjamb, causing Teddy to flip around in the chair and eye me.

"James!" Dad exclaimed, standing up and coming over to give me a bear hug. "You don't come round anymore?"

"I've been busy," I repeated, averting my eyes slightly as Teddy continued to eye me.

"Busy?" Teddy echoed, leaning back in his chair. I clenched my teeth together, stuffing my fists in my pockets.

"Yeah, busy," I stated sharply. Teddy cocked an eyebrow and flipped back to the desk.

"With work?" Dad questioned, going back around the desk and grabbing the file that was splayed in between him and Ted.

"Yeah, work," I shrugged, plopping down in one of the leather chairs in front of his desk. I pushed forward, slumping down so my feet were buried under the desk. Teddy was still looking at me. "End of summer holiday rush and all."

"So, have you come up with any new ideas?" Teddy asked suddenly.

"Nope," I stated, tugging at a loose thread on the hem of my t-shirt. Well Kent's t-shirt. I haven't really been in a laundry mood lately. Laundry was a chore. Work was a chore. Even just waking up was a chore nowadays. Having to just be was a chore. I was just tired. Will Teddy stop staring at me already?

"No ideas?" Teddy questioned. "Any particular reason behind the mental block?"

"Nope," I answered, twisting the thread around my finger so tight that the circulation was cut off. I poked the tip of my finger turning the purple white momentarily.

Teddy sighed. Dad's brow furrowed slightly as he slipped the file back in the cabinet. He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by a loud slam somewhere towards the living room.

"DADDY!"

"In here with Grandpa and Uncle James, Vi!" Teddy called out. Violet came streaking in a few seconds later, scrambling into Teddy's lap and bouncing slightly.

"I gots a new toy," she stated happily. Dad's eyebrow raised as Violet clapped her hands. "Grandmere gave me a dolly. Wanna see it Uncie James?"

"Sure," I shrugged giving her a small smile. She frowned at me and turned around to face Teddy, clambering up on her knees as she did so.

"Daddy," she whispered loudly. "Uncie James sick?"

"I don't know Violet," Teddy commented back.

"He sick like Aunty Kay? I drew her a pwetty picture."

I froze, looking at Violet wide eyed. Teddy eyed me back, his eyebrows practically in his hairline. The blood was slowly draining from my fingertips, leaving me numb all over. Teddy knew because Victoire knew. No wonder he's been staring at me.

"Kaylie's sick?" Dad questioned, a concerned look crossing his features. I opened my mouth to speak. To lie. To make up something. If Teddy tells my parents it's only going to make it worse. Mum will fuss. Dad will give me a manly chat. It was all too much for me to go through. I didn't want to go there.

"I think she has a cold," Teddy put in quickly. I shot him a grateful look, which he only returned with a disappointed one.

"Dinner, boys!" Mum shouted from the kitchen, thankfully saving me from any other sort of conversation. Lily will take care of that at the dinner table and I can just eat instead of speaking. If Teddy hasn't said anything yet hopefully he won't ever. I hefted myself out of the chair and dragged myself back towards the kitchen. Victoire was helping Mum set the table. She narrowed her eyes slightly when she noticed me walk in but covered it up by busying herself with silverware.

"Grab the plates, Jemmy," Mum ordered, flicking her wand at the knife next to the bread so it would slice itself.

I lazily swiped my wand at the stack of plates and let them drop a little too hard onto the table. Victoire huffed and repaired the one that bounced off the stack and smashed to the floor.

"Lay off Vic," I muttered under my breath. She inhaled sharply through her nose, red blotches appearing high on her cheekbones.

"I haven't said anything," she commented lightly, quickly turning her back and scooping up Violet to plop her in the booster seat. She bent over to cut up the chicken on Violet's plate, blocking her face from my view.

I flopped into my seat, crossing my arms over my chest and frowning at the spread in front of me. Normally I would kill for Mum's cooking. Enough so that I would come home for dinner whenever Kaylie couldn't cook. It was better then the sandwiches and soup I made myself. Another pang hit my core. It was a reminder that I haven't been too hungry lately. I feed myself enough so my stomach stops growling and I'm done. It all tastes like sawdust anyways. I don't bother with anything too fancy lately. But here I was forced to have to put on a mask of wanting to stuff my face like usual.

"N.E.W.T Level Charms is brutal, Lils," Albus groaned, when Lily filled Vic in on what classes she was studying this year.

"But Dom's teaching it, so hey, free tutoring," Lily pointed out. "And I have my Charms Crystal to give me good voodoo."

"I barely passed it and I had Flitwick," Albus declared.

"I had Flitwick for five years. How is that any different?" Lily shot back.

"He's bound to grade you harder then Dominique," Albus snorted.

"Stuff it you two," Mum declared, leaning over and wiping at Violet's face with a napkin. "Why didn't you bring along Christopher, Albus? You know he's invited."

Albus blushed and ducked his face into his plate. He grinned slightly and gave a small sigh before giving a non-committal shrug.

"He had work," was his final reply. "He wanted to come though. He was saying that it was a shame he really didn't get to talk to you guys at the wedding."

"Invite him over for dinner next week then," Dad announced after clearing his throat slightly.

"Alright," Albus grinned, glowing slightly with pride. He turned to me then, swallowing and mussing up his hair a bit. "He wanted to know if you and Kaylie wanted to come round my place for dinner soon, James? He wants to cook for us."

I froze. My fork hovering halfway to my lips. Albus frowned when I didn't answer right away.

"If you're not comfortable with it it's alright," he coughed. "No big deal."

"No," I started, my voice catching slightly. "It's not-"

Albus merely shrugged. I struggled with completing the sentence. I needed to tell him that I'd come but the fact of the matter was I was still dealing with this. I wanted to accept Albus for who he was but I was conflicted inside. I wish he hadn't sprung it on me. I wish he spoke to me about it before just showing up with Christopher. I wanted to say that I would go but I couldn't do it alone and now I had no option. I had to say something. I had to at least say that Kaylie and I were done. But that was the last thing I really wanted to do. So I was left with silence.

"So," Teddy declared quickly, looking over at Victoire. She gave a one-shoulder shrug and took a small sip of her water. "Vic and I were wondering if you knew of any houses available to buy in the area."

"Houses?" Dad questioned. "Do you two not like your flat anymore?"

"No," Teddy countered hastily. "We love it. We're just going to need more room soon."

Silence.

"Another baby! Merlin! Do you want to take the attention away from me more?!" Lily shrieked, shattering the silence like glass.

"Way to make it all about you," Albus snorted.

"What?! I already lost flower girl privileges to Violet and now a new baby is going to take the spot in the next wedding!"

"You're mad," Albus groaned. It seemed to finally click with Mum because she began flapping her hands around her face, her mouth open in a silent shriek.

"A baby! Oh, Teddy!" She declared, launching out of her chair and throwing herself around Victoire.

"Congratulations!" Dad exclaimed, leaning over and clapping Ted around the shoulder. "I'll send out some vibes for houses! If you need anything, any sort of help, let me know."

"I'm sure we'll manage," Teddy beamed, turning to me and raising an eyebrow. "Ready for another niece or nephew, James?"

"I'm sure I'll manage," I announced, giving Teddy a small smile.

"Oh! Your Mum must be ecstatic. And my mum! She's going to cry and fuss, of course. Kaylie is going to have kittens!" Mum announced, looking at Victoire with big eyes. "Have you told her yet, Vic? James, when are you going to do something like this?"

I balked, feeling the ice that's been in my stomach for over a month turn. I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Gin," Dad groaned. "Not everyone in the family has to marry young."

"But I want to plan a wedding," Mum stated in a small voice. "You're right though. That was a bit forward, eh. It's all the happy. I want it to continue."

"James," Victoire stated slowly. "They don't..."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Vic," Teddy followed. "Let it be."

"What?" Mum questioned hesitantly. "I know. I have a big mouth. Marriage. You're too young."

"What's wrong, James?" Dad put in. "You've been quiet all night long."

"And he stood up for me," Lily declared. "Talk about bizarre. I think he's got a ringworm in his brain."

"Just stop," I announced quietly. "Just stop picking at me."

"James," Teddy sighed.

"No," I ordered, slamming down my silverware. "Just stop giving me those looks, Ted!"

"I'm just worried," Teddy shot back.

"What does he have to be worried about?" Dad questioned lowly.

I silently chewed on my inner cheek as everyone at the table stared at me. I could feel the heat of their gazes on the back of my neck. I shoved back my chair and rushed away from the table, hurrying back towards the living room and to the fireplace.

"_Incendio_," I declared, my voice shaking slightly as I jabbed my wand at the grate. A few flames licked at the wood but nothing short of embers. I closed my eyes and tried to take a deep breath when someone grabbed my arm.

"James," Teddy groaned, plucking my wand from my fingertips. "Don't leave."

"And just sit there and be stared at?" I croaked, feeling my still slightly fractured knuckles throb a bit. I never properly healed them after punching that wall at work.

"No, talk to us," Teddy announced.

"What if I don't want them to know?"

Teddy snorted.

"I'm surprised they haven't found out already. Especially now that Dominique and Victoire know. It'd be better coming from you."

I groaned and plopped down on the couch, burying my face in my hands.

"If they know it becomes even more of a big deal."

"It's a big deal whether they know or not," Teddy pointed out. "I mean I get keeping it to yourself. I wasn't going to push you to talk about it until you were ready to tell me yourself but they're going to ask now. You have to tell them."

"Jemmy?" Mum questioned from the doorway. "What's wrong, dear?"

I lifted my head to look at Teddy. He sighed and turned back to Mum, running a hand through his turquoise hair.

"Kaylie and James broke up," he stated simply.

"_What_?!" Mum spluttered. "When?!"

"After the wedding," I admitted. "She chucked me."

"Why?!"

I buried my face in my hands again, feeling the words die in my throat. Mum's arms were soon around me, her cheek resting on my head.

"It's okay," she soothed, her hand circling my back. "Don't talk about it if you don't want to."

"I never want to talk about it," I admitted. "I never want to think about it but it's always just there."

"I broke up with your Dad for a bit. Almost two years and we fixed it," Mum stated softly.

"Mum," I declared. "How is that the same at all?! Dad ended it with you to protect you from Voldemort. Kaylie chucked me because she doesn't like who I am."

"Just take some time, love," Mum sighed. "Everything will work itself out with time. You'll feel better eventually."

"Everyone keeps saying that!"

"It's the truth," Mum replied.

"Yeah, it may be the truth but it doesn't fix how I feel now."

* * *

"So," Albus sighed, leaning against the lift wall and holding the leather strap that hung from the ceiling. I groaned and gave him a small look out of the corner of my eyes. He was dirty and sweaty, his training robes clinging to his form. Teddy owled me last night requesting he takes Albus and I out to lunch since Lily's goodbye dinner ended so abruptly last weekend. He wanted to hang out with us for a bit since he hasn't in a while. I was about to turn him down, just take my lunch in the apartment above the shop, but Teddy insisted-saying it would make me feel better to start living normally. "You can still come round for dinner with me and Chris sometimes."

"Al-it's not like I don't want to," I admitted. "I just don't want to do much of anything lately."

"Yeah but you should really get out of your room," Albus snorted. "The pasty look doesn't do it for you."

I shoved his shoulder, sending him with the momentum of the lift and careening to the floor. He glared at me.

"I'm not pasty," I fought back with a jet of my chin.

"You're practically as white as the Bloody Baron. Depression is not a good look on you. But I get it. I mean you're hurting right?"

"Can we not go all touchy feely? Everyone wants to go all touchy feely and it's really bleeding annoying," I snapped stalking out of the lift as it got to the Magical Law Enforcement floor.

"Fine," Albus snorted in reply. "I won't try and be a good brother or anything."

"I appreciate the sentiment," I announced, crossing my arms over my chest as we stalked towards Teddy's cubicle. "But I'm fine."

"You're not," Albus fought back. "But whatever. Hey Ted, care to go so we can maybe the distract the Drama Queen here?"

Teddy looked up from his paperwork and frowned a bit, nodding at us in greeting.

"I need a moment. But refrain from calling James names for a few months, yeah?"

"You don't need to treat me like glass, Ted," I snapped. "I don't need to be coddled."

"Well you're acting like you do," Teddy pointed out weakly. I shrugged, pushing some hair out of my eyes and looking around the quiet office.

"I'm going to say hi to Aunt Hermione," I commented, eager to step away for just a moment. If people were going to start calling me out on my bullshit I didn't need to stand around and take it. I turned on my heel and made my way towards her office, passing all the wizards neatly tucked into their cubicles as I went. They were all so normal. I'm sure they all have gone through something like this. Everyone does. But how do they walk around and act normal? How do they have a conversation without wanting to punch something? How do they move forward because I sure as hell wasn't.

I knocked lightly on the doorframe of Aunt Hermione's office. The door was propped open as always. The desk was covered in books, stacked two to three high. Aunt Hermione's head popped up from behind the stack, her curly hair escaping the bun on top of her head.

"James!" she exclaimed, pushing two stacks aside so I could see her without standing. "What're you doing here?"

"Going to lunch with Ted and Albus. Al got annoying so I thought I'd say hi," I shrugged, pulling out a chair and plopping down. I reached under myself and pulled out a book that I sat on. _Advanced Workings of Ancient Runes_.

"What does Ancient Runes have to do with Magical Law Enforcement?" I questioned hesitantly.

"Oh," Aunt Hermione shrugged, taking the book that was held in my out-stretched hand. "Just a project I was helping Rose with."

She set down her quill and folder her hands under her chin, eyeing me carefully.

"Care for tea?"

"No thanks," I replied quickly. "We're going out soon."

Her lips pursed slightly as she looked at me, a shadow of a sad look crossing her features. Bloody hell, has Mum told everyone?

"You doing alright?" she questioned.

"Fine," I answered automatically. "Just fine."

"Okay," Aunt Hermione shrugged, giving me another sad look.

"Will people stop pitying me? I'm not sick or anything, I just got bloody dumped," I groaned. Her mouth popped open slightly.

"James," she sighed. "We're not pitying you, dear. We're worried. It's a big life change. I can't imagine how hard it must be."

"So everyone says," I declared. "Just let me worry about myself."

"It's okay to let us help you," she reminded me.

"Yeah," I snorted. "I'll be sure to ask if I need any,"

"Please do, dear," she replied, ignoring my sarcasm completely. I sat in silence for a moment, grabbing a random book and flipping through it absentmindedly. A feeling flushed through me. Kaylie was reading this exact one last month. It scares me how much Aunt Hermione and her are alike. Kay was a bit neater and anal retentive then Hermione was but they both had a lot of the same personality quirks. Sitting here now and watching her look at me made me regret choosing her as an escape.

"I should go," I stated suddenly, tossing the book back on the desk and bolting out of my chair. "Teddy and Al are waiting."

"Stop by anytime, James," Hermione shrugged, picking up her quill again.

"Sure," I declared, stuffing my hands in my pocket and storming out of the office with my head bent. Every bit of me longed to move on and forward but the crippling anger and remorse I felt held me back. She wanted a life without me. It was a hard potion to swallow. The fact that she didn't want me around anymore hurt more then anything. It hurt more then when I thought I'd lost her. Every bone in me needs to move on for my own good. But now what's my good now that the best good in my life is gone?

"Oh bloody hell," someone squeaked, as something thumped to the floor. I looked up from my contemplative self-pity and froze. Kaylie was knelt on the floor, hurriedly trying to shove all the files she dropped back in a pile. The back of her neck was bright red, a dead give away that her cheeks were probably the same color.

"Forget this," she muttered under her breath, grabbing her wand and sweeping it at the mess on the floor. All the files zoomed into a messy pile, but enough for her to heft it back in her arms. She attempted to avert her eyes as she stood, making like she was going to storm off but hesitating slightly. Finally she raised her eyes to meet mine.

The emotions surging through me were enough to make me feel like a proper bird. I was surprised I wasn't crying. I was surprised I was still standing. Seeing her for the first time in over a month was almost a shock to my system. Her hair was pinned half up but the rest was curling over her shoulders naturally. She turned her head the earrings I gave her winked in her lobes. She bit down on her full lips, her turquoise eyes turned glassy slightly before she jutted her chin slightly in greeting. Nothing made me want to grab her more, shove the folders out of her arms, and just press my mouth against hers. Every scenario I've been through about us seeing each other again flew through my mind. But each one died slowly and painfully as I remembered that she didn't want me. That she almost just walked away without even a hello.

"James," she squeaked.

"Kaylie," I echoed awkwardly.

Silence. Deep and painful silence.

"What are you doing here?" she finally blurted out in a rather condescending tone.

I felt my pride flash. That's right. I don't belong in something as serious as the ministry.

"Oh!" I declared with a slightly bitter laugh. "I forgot I wasn't mature enough to hang out in a place of such stature. I'll just leave."

"James," Kaylie sighed. "That's not what I meant!"

"Why are _you_ here, Kay? Don't you have super top-secret work to do?"

Kaylie's eyes took their turn to flash in anger before she straightened her shoulders.

"I'm taking a break," came her sharp reply.

"Oh now you take a break."

"How's work for you, James?" she countered.

"Great. Completely responsibility free. But since I'm not in a serious relationship I don't need to do anything too hardcore," I declared, holding my hands out wide. I swallowed the frustrated scream that was dying to escape and turned on my heel.

"Where are you going?!" Kaylie snapped.

"To the Day Care," I announced with a small, sarcastic, wave over my shoulder. "Thought I'd check myself in."

"Will you quit being so self absorbed for a second James and try to see what I was talking about?" Kaylie almost whimpered. "Or are you going to walk away again? Walk away because things get hard? You seem to be good at that."

"Apparently, according to you, that's the only thing I seem to be good at!" I shouted over my shoulder, continuing on with a purpose. I arrived back at Teddy's cubicle feeling as if my face was flushed and my chest heaving. There, the perfect last word.

"Run a marathon lately?" Albus snorted.

"No," I declared with an almost manic laugh. "I just ran into Kaylie!"

Teddy and Albus' mouths dropped slightly. Albus' soon turned into a grimace.

"What happened?" Teddy questioned hesitantly.

"I showed her!" I announced.

"Showed her what?" Albus asked in a small voice.

I stopped and thought for a second. What exactly did I just achieve?

"I'm not entirely sure," I admitted.

"Well what'd you say?"

I froze again and ran the conversation through my mind.

"Well," I sighed. "To be frank I didn't say things that were particularly polite but I got the last word in... Oh bloody hell."

Albus and Teddy frowned.

"I was a complete arse," I groaned. "I just was so angry. I was so upset seeing her that I just shoved everything she used to break up with me back in her face. But you know what?! I have a right to be angry! She dumped me after seven years!"

Albus and Ted exchanged looks.

"And I'm not going to just roll over and beg for her back! I'm better then that!"

"Whatever you say James," Teddy sighed, slipping his jacket on and motioning me to walk towards the lifts. The sinking feeling that I just handled everything wrong was folding over me. I had a perfect opportunity. I could've apologized and turned my life back to normal. Instead my pride got the best of me and I think I drove her even farther away.


	9. Chapter 9

**I know, I know-it's been a month. Shame on me. Here's Kaylie. Just Kaylie. I have been busy with school and possibly (okay yes) a mental breakdown. So here's a chapter. And yeah. **

* * *

Is this red? Or is this pink? Well it can go in the middle because it's the same length as my pencil skirt and in a similar shade. But it has pleats, so should it go in an entirely different section? I gently laid the skirt on the floor in my 'undecided' pile and turned to my shoes. Reaching for my ruler I pressed the edge against one of my heels so I could properly shelve them by height.

"Are you measuring your bloody shoes?"

"They need to be shelved," I declared, not looking up from counting the markings on the ruler.

"Didn't you organize your closet last week, Kaylie?" Lizzie questioned.

"Yes, but it was all wrong," I announced, setting the heels in the neutral colored pile.

"Kaylie," Lizzie sighed. "You're losing it. Our flat is so clean I'm afraid to make it messy. I don't think I could if I tried."

"It's not that clean," I argued.

"You organized my socks by how many holes were in the toes. Now will you look at me?"

I pursed my lips together and rubbed absentmindedly at a micro scuff on the toe of a shoe. I knew what she was going to say. That I've been going off the rails for the last couple days. Since I was bombarded by Dom and Vic. I made a cognitive decision to get out of bed, shower daily, and go back to work. Then I had the weekend to get through to stick to my guns. It was a lot harder than I anticipated.

"Kay," Liz stated again. I dropped the shoe and glanced over at her. She was giving me a straight look while leaning against the door jamb to my closet and balancing a cereal bowl in her hands. I didn't like that look. "You need to breathe and put down the ruler."

"I'm just organizing. I don't see the harm," I announced defensively.

"You're not just organizing. You're like you're fifteen again, cleaning the bottom of your shoes before you put them away in the closet. Folding your clothes to put them in the hamper. You're manic," Lizzie sighed, coming in and setting her bowl on the top of the dresser. I opened my mouth to tell her that it was going to leave a ring but her glare cut it off.

"Kay, love, I really adore that you're out of bed so don't get me wrong but you can't go from one extreme to another," she sighed, settling down next to me. "You need to step back a little and just be instead of throwing yourself into something so you don't have to think about hurting."

"I don't know what to do," I admitted.

"Well stop organizing for one," Lizzie laughed. "Then maybe shower so we're both not late for work?"

"Lizzie," I moaned, flopping backwards onto the pile of clothes I had behind me. "I don't know what to do!"

Lizzie frowned at me, brushing her sleep-ratted hair out of her eyes. It was true. I was completely lost. One second I was crying. One second I was angry he drove me to this place. The next I was ready to go over and scream at him for not fighting and trying hard enough. Then I was ecstatic I took this step. That I did something for me for the first time in years rather than us. Then I was lost. I didn't know how to feel. How to move. How to breathe. I didn't know how I was to push on and continue to be normal because normal me was with James and that was obviously no longer an option.

"Who am I without him?" I questioned hesitantly.

"Kaylie Michelle Scott," Lizzie snorted. "What have these years done to you? You are, and always have been, a person without James. You are brilliant, a total genius. You're sharp as a whip. And you've _never _been defined by a bloke. Not even James."

"But-" I whined, the noise dying in my throat as Lizzie glared at me.

"You will take it one day at a time and soon you'll realize who you are again," she prompted, patting me on the head and standing up. "Now get in the bloody shower."

I lay there for a few minutes, pondering Liz's words. She was right. Just a year ago I would've punched anyone that told me that James was defining my life and personality. I've always taken my own path in life, despite James being at my side but he didn't need to be because I always knew he would support me. He was always just that puzzle piece that completed the picture. Now I've dropped one on the floor and I had to find a way to make something whole again without the original accompaniment.

It didn't seem possible, but it I mean it must be. It had to be. Many people have gone through breakups. Devastating losses. I've even been through more in the past. Something like this shouldn't trip me up. I'm strong. I'm a Gryffindor. I'm a fighter.

So I pulled myself off the floor and began to clean up my mess. I put away the skirts and steeled my emotions. I lined back up my shoes and cleared my face of the remnants of last night's tears. I carefully took my outfit off the hook on the door and smoothed out a wrinkle in the gray tweed pencil skirt. Today starts the beginning of the life I wanted. Today starts the plan I had to be a better me.

I was carefully pinning back my hair from my face a half hour later when Lizzie knocked on my door jamb. She was far less dressed then me in her clean jeans, plaid shirt and wellingtons under her hunter green work robes. She was due to take care of some of the plant samples she brought back from Spain in the Ministry greenhouses today and didn't need to be wearing her office finest like me.

"You look nice," Lizzie grinned, pulling her hair around her shoulder and tightly plaiting it. "Like the top."

I cocked my head to the side and carefully adjusted the tails on the loose bow that tied to the hollow of my neck. Only once I was satisfied they were even did I slip on my blue Unspeakables robes.

"You ready to enter the real world? Are you sure you're not going to faint or something once you actually leave this flat?" Lizzie joked, handing me my bag that was resting by the door. I rolled my eyes and hefted it over my shoulder.

"I have to do _something_," I sighed, nervously brushing imaginary lint off my skirt. "I have to do _anything_."

"Okay," Lizzie concluded, stepping onto the landing of our flat and holding out her hand. I clutched it tight, allowing her to Apparate us to the Ministry Apparation point. It was a bit overwhelming, landing in the bustle of the employees filing into the Atrium. It was like my world was being pressed around me from all sides as a middle aged wizard jostled me from behind. This was too many people. I wasn't ready for this many faces staring into my own. This was too much in the real world.

"Kaylie-Kat!"

"Kent!" I announced, letting out a sigh of relief. Kent pushed someone to the side to fight to get next to Lizzie and me. He had half a bagel hanging out of his mouth, a travel mug of tea in his hands, and his work robes slung over his free arm. His tie loose and shirt untucked. Essentially my nightmare but I couldn't even be surprised because Kenneth has never been a morning person.

"You look a mess," Lizzie snorted, stopping in the middle of the flow of traffic to dig through her bag.

"It's eight am," Kent droned through a huge mouthful of food. "Of course I look a mess."

"It's unprofessional," I sniffed, immediately buttoning the top collar and adjusting his tie. "Now tuck in your shirt."

"Yes Mum," Kent snorted, juggling his belongings a bit so he could hold out the travel mug in my direction. "I shouldn't have brought you tea if you were just going to be rude."

"Bloody hell," Lizzie declared, tucking her work gloves under her arm and glancing at her watch. "Is this really the time? Okay, I've gotta jet but lunch later?"

"Yeah," I shrugged. "I'll meet you at the cafe at noon?"

"Sounds good," Lizzie announced, already making her way towards the lifts. "I'll try and track down Louis or something."

"So," Kent started, grabbing my elbow and guiding me to our own lifts. "You ready to be back at work?"

"I have to be," I announced, running my finger around the rim of the mug. "I mean I need to be out of the flat. I think I'm driving Liz mad."

"I don't think you could," Kent laughed, punching the floor button and pulling down two straps for us. "She's one of your best mates."

"I went on a rather barmy organizing spree," I admitted. "I might've gotten to her things."

"Kaylie," Kent laughed, grabbing my shoulder to right me as the lift sudden slammed backwards. "You can't organize all your problems away. I mean maybe you should just talk to-"

"Do _not_ finish that sentence," I snapped, whipping around to look at my twin. "I am not speaking to James. It's already hard enough not to just head over to your flat and go back to normal. Talking to him will just make it worse. I'm not looking for apologies. I'm looking for change...a change I frankly don't think he's capable of at this point in time."

"Alright, alright," Kent announced awkwardly. "I just thought I'd give it a try. It's just a weird predicament for me to be in. I'm not choosing sides but it's just never been this way. We've always all been together."

"Sometimes life gets in the way of always," I sighed, stepping out of the lift on the floor that Magical Law Enforcement shared with the Unspeakable's offices. "It's not easy for me either, you know. It's not easy to be so in control when all you want to do is curl in a ball and give up."

"I wasn't implying that it was," Kent groaned, shouldering on his robes. "I get that this is hard on you, Kay. I'm sorry. You know it hurts me when you're hurting. I just want both of you happy and I don't know what to do to make that happen."

"You don't do anything," I declared fiercely. "Happiness is something we need to find on our own."

"Oi! Kaylie! Kent!"

Kent and I stopped our current trek through the maze of cubicles and peered into the one Teddy was yelling at us out of. He wheeled his chair over to the opening and gave us both a genial smile.

"What're you doing back up here?" he questioned, twirling a bit in his chair. "Thought you two were all special and down in the Department of Mysteries now."

"Nope," Kent declared as I clenched my jaw tight. "We're back up to file clerk for a little bit. Transitional."

Teddy eyed me carefully, his head slightly cocked to the side. I was waiting for him to hate me. Victoire may be supportive but I essentially dumped his little brother. I was one hundred percent sure that he was going to hate my guts. Instead he pushed his chair back to his desk and shuffled through a few piles of papers. Wheeling back he held out a picture in my direction.

"Vic said to give this to you if I saw you," he announced, shaking it a bit when I immediately didn't grab for it. I plucked it from his fingers and sucked in a shuddering breath. It was a picture of James, Violet and I at the wedding, mere hours before everything went sour. I was adjusting the flower crown in her hair before pointing at the camera so we could both smile at it as James looked at the two of us fondly. "She thought you'd might want it, seeing as you're still her godmother, even if you two aren't together anymore."

"Yeah," I managed to croak out before stuffing it into my bag. "It's lovely. Thanks."

"No problem," Teddy shrugged, still eyeing me with that curious look on his face. Kent looked almost stricken. I was sure I looked almost on the verge of tears. I turned to walk away towards Griselda's office but Kent didn't follow.

"I'll be right there," he announced carefully. I nodded, tugging my fingers through the loose part of my hair before stepping away from the cubicle. It wasn't until I was around the corner that I stopped and caught my breath. That hurt more than anything. That was like a cut to the skin. Seeing us, together and so happy, made me want to puke and then cry. I closed my eyes and tried to get a grip on myself. I couldn't break down here. This was work. This was professional. This was my career. As my breathing slowed down something clicked in my brain. It was like the chamber between Kent and I's connection fell. Fuck, I must be more emotionally wrought then I thought because this doesn't usually happen unless I lose complete control of myself.

_Just lay off a bit, Ted. Apparently they just got her out of bed and eating normal meals again. _

_ I _know_ James is hurt. I live with him, remember? It's just that she's hurt too. I get that you're trying to be protective of James but seriously just let them have it out on their own. They don't need us adding fuel to the fire. _

I clenched my fists together and forced myself to center my thoughts. I couldn't lose control like that or Kent and I are going to be stuck on Transitional forever. Finally I felt the door between the two of us snap shut and the conversation he was having slip away. There. Done. I'm back in control.

"Hey," Kent announced, rounding the corner. "You could've asked me what I said instead of eavesdropping."

"I didn't mean to," I groaned, grabbing the handle to Griselda's door. "I just lost control for a second."

Kent's eyebrows shot up.

"That hasn't happened in a while," he whistled.

"I know...I know. I just tried to force myself not to cry and kinda lost track of what my mind was doing for a moment. I'll get it together and we'll be back to our project soon, I promise."

"Kaylie," Kent laughed, dropping his things on a chair. "Take your time. Don't force yourself to be ready to go back down there, let yourself really be ready. For the sake of my safety at least."

"There you two are," Griselda announced from her desk. "Have a nice Holiday?"

"Not particularly," I admitted.

"Well since our research has been delayed I've got plenty of filling and recording to keep you two busy," she announced, pointing to the several dozen boxes of files stacked against the wall. Kent groaned.

"I say take your time to be ready-but try and make that time as short as possible," he hissed, levitating one of the boxes and grabbing his stuff to move it to our old cubicle. "I might just beat my head in if I have to do this too long."

Kent may not enjoy it but the work Griselda gave us was rather welcoming in my opinion. It was a lot of organizing and alphabetizing. Mind numbing work that made my thoughts go blank. It was nice to get my brain functioning in this way again. This work was easy and distracting. It was exactly what I needed. It was easy to waste away two or three hours doing it.

File K09CT7 is a non-urgent Time worker case.

_Thump_.

File D25PT4 is a case for the Time workers but is urgent so it goes is goes over to sub-section B in the file room.

_Thump._

File N33FT2 is an urgent case involving the whole of the department so it goes up to Mum.

_Thump._

"Kent," I groaned, not even looking up from the file I was searching for substance and record code. "If you're not going to help can you at least stop throwing that ball against the wall?"

Kent sighed, the thumping stopping, and his chair squeaked. His hand slid into my vision as he moved the file to the side.

"You're eyes are going to cross," he laughed, when I finally looked at him.

"Well they've got to be deciphered before they can be filed," I sighed, pointing to his pile that had only decreased by about five.

"Why don't you go file what you've done so you don't go blind or something?"

"Why don't you actually do your job," I fired back with a small smile. Kent grimaced slightly.

"It's just so monotonous," he whined. I gave him a flat look and pulled at my sore knuckles. "I don't know how you do it. I did five and had to force myself to keep my eyes open. We've been at it for like ever."

"Try three hours? Why don't you go get some tea or something and I'll go file what I've done and what you've done so far," I suggested with a small eye roll. "Make sure to grab more tea for me as well."

"Yes your highness," Kent laughed, jumping up and bowing low at me. I smacked him across the head and hefted the files into my arms.

"Don't forget the lemon, Sir Laziness," I teased, backing out of the cubicle as Kent gave me a sarcastic look. "And try to get a few more of those sorted out while I'm gone?"

I hefted the files more secure in my arms and made my way down the hall towards the path that would lead to Mum's office. I pushed open the main door with my hip and nodded at her secretary before letting myself in.

"No," Mum sighed, her hips protruding into the room and her top half submerged in her fireplace. "I need that team in by one. If we don't make progress in this project by the end of the month Shaklebolt said he was going to cut the funding for it...Yes I'm aware that he has no idea what the project entails but we still need to send him some sort of progress report...Look, Fields, I want it done. No arguments."

She backed out of the hearth, brushing the ash remnants off her hands and shaking her head slightly.

"I swear, if Martin Fields gives me any more cheek I'm going to cut him from his position and give it to Anderson," she grumbled, pulling her hair up as I sorted out the files that were supposed to go to her. "Of course you never heard that, dear."

"My lips are sealed," I declared, flipping around a few files so they were alphabetized. I gathered them together so they were completely even with each other and handed them to her. "Here you go. It's not all of the box Kent and I are working on right now but it's a good amount. Files pertaining to urgent departmental issues."

Mum grinned at me, taking the files and sliding them into her In-Box, before pursing her lips. I wearily plopped down the rest of my files and flopped into the chair across from her desk. I could sense a lecture before it even started with her. She didn't speak for a moment, allowing me to examine her face. It's funny that I didn't see it for fifteen years. Mum didn't look like Kent and I. Her nose was narrow while Kent and I's turned up slightly at the end. Her eyes were light blue while ours were more turquoise. Her hair straight as a board while ours were tumbled with curls. When I was younger I always thought that we looked like our Dad. He had the same hair texture but it was blonde and as I looked at pictures there were distinct differences between our features. It was a wonder we never figured out that we weren't their children by birth.

Mum offered to show us pictures of our birth parents but neither of us felt the desire to. In our book Mum and Dad were our parents. Kent had Dad's exact sense of humor and I had Mum's sarcasm. Mum and Kent both were amazing at diffusing a situation and I shared Dad's quick temper. They were every bit our parents as any other family and we had no desire to know the ones that we shared nothing with but physical attributes. Maybe one day, but that day hasn't come yet.

"How are you doing, Kaylie-Kat?" she questioned finally.

"Mum," I groaned, picking slightly at my cuticle. It wasn't a conversation I was looking to have.

"Sorry," Mum shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "I've been worried. Kent's said that you've been...well not doing so well. I wish you would just come home and stay there for a bit. It's alright."

"Mum," I declared again. "I'm twenty-two. It's just a breakup. I don't need to come home. I mean the flat's still pretty much brand new. Why not stay in it?"

"It's not just a breakup Kaylie. James and you were together for a really long time. It must've been a hard decision to make. We haven't really got to talk about it since it happened."

"I don't really want to talk about it," I admitted. "It hurts too much to hash and rehash it."

"I'm sorry, baby. I wish I could take your pain away," Mum sighed. "I wish I could just make it all better."

"So everyone says. They just all keep forgetting that I broke up with him so I _could _be happy."

"Of course," Mum smiled. "Of course you did. I just want you to know that I love you and I'm here for you. It's hard for a mother to have her baby all grown up and not needing her anymore."

"Mum," I laughed. "I've always been rather independent."

"That," she nodded. "Is very true. Now, will you and Kent be willing to grace me with your presence for dinner later this week?"

"I think we can fit you in," I grinned, standing up and going around to peck her on the cheek. She stroked my hair fondly before motioning at my remaining files.

"Get back to work," she ordered. I rolled my eyes and hefted the folders into my arms. Mum was already bent over her work as I paused at the doorway.

"I love you, Mum," I announced. Mum looked up and grinned at me before making a small shooing motion with her hand. While the conversation was awkward and very expected, a small part of me glowed a bit at Mum caring. There was a point in time where Mum wouldn't even blink if Kent and I broke up with someone. There was a point in time where work was her kids. But as each year passes it seems that she gets better and better at functioning without Dad.

With an only slightly renewed mood, I made my way back out on the floor and towards the file room. Today wasn't as bad as I anticipated. So far I haven't cried, which is a grand achievement on its own. So far I've only felt the urge to want to completely shut down once. Today was a marginally good day. If this wasn't an indicator of things getting better, I didn't know what was. For the first time in over a month I could feel that happiness was possible. It wasn't exactly close but I could see that eventually I could be happy again. I rounded the corner, this new lease on life giving me a small spring in my step, before freezing.

Every ray of positive thinking suddenly came crashing down around me. The square of his shoulders. The tousle of his hair. The swell of his bicep beneath his short sleeved shirt. Every bit of it made me freeze and the air supply to my brain completely stop. The files I was holding slipped from my arms, spilling all over the floor.

"Oh bloody hell," I hissed, immediately falling to my knees so I could stare at the pattern in the carpet instead of the person in front of me. I needed to be anywhere but here. I needed to be on a completely different continent. Hell, I needed to be on a completely different planet. I needed these files to not be all over the place. I couldn't be here right now. I scrambled to try to grab them all in a second flat but my fingers didn't seem to be working.

"Forget this," I hissed under my breath, pulling my wand from my pocket and sweeping it haphazardly at the files. They zoomed back towards me in a messy pile, but enough for me to pick them up again. I quickly stood, finally looking up. He was looking at me now. His deep brown eyes immediately searching my face. He opened his mouth to say something but shut it again, his lips pursing instead.

I should just go. I should just walk away. I mean what is there to say? Nothing really. Nothing at all. There's nothing to say that hasn't been said. That's not exactly true-I mean there was plenty to say. There was plenty to ask. But I didn't want to. I simply couldn't. I should just walk away. I made to do so and an immense look of hurt coated his features. It was like he broke from the outside in. And as suddenly as it was there was it gone. I can't just walk away.

"James," I squeaked.

"Kaylie," James echoed awkwardly.

It was too quiet. The silence stretched between us, vast and untouchable. Why was he here? It was supposed to be safe here.

"What are you doing here?" I finally questioned, rather desperately I might add.

James' face flashed slightly. His shoulders becoming rigid and his brow lowering over his eyes.

"Oh!" James declared with a sharp laugh. "I forgot I wasn't mature enough to hang out in a place of such stature. I'll just leave."

"James," I sighed, feeling the energy sap from my body at his mere tone. "That's not what I meant!"

"Why are _you_ here, Kay? Don't you have super top-secret work to do?"

Oh. Really. Top-secret work? Is he really going to throw that of all things on me?

"I'm taking a break," I answered in a clipped tone.

"Oh now you take a break?"

"How's work for you, James?" I countered, trying to keep my voice from shaking as the anger grew. This wasn't James. This was an angry person. This was someone that was purposefully _trying_ to hurt me. It's not something I've ever seen him targeting towards me. It was almost a crippling blow.

"Great. Completely responsibility free. But since I'm not in a serious relationship I don't need to do anything too hardcore," he declared, holding his hands out wide. He didn't even wait for me to reply to his clearly sarcastic comment before he turned on his heel and made off in the direction he came.

"Where are you going?!" I snapped.

"To the Day Care," he declared with a small, sarcastic, wave over his shoulder. "Thought I'd check myself in."

He's throwing every single thing I've said to him back in my face. He's using my words against me to hurt me in the worst way possible.

"Will you quit being so self-absorbed for a second James and try to see what I was talking about?" I managed to get out in what was practically a whimper. "Or are you going to walk away again? Walk away because things get hard? You seem to be good at that."

He didn't turn around to reply.

"Apparently, according to you, that's the only thing I seem to be good at!" he snapped, venom coating every word. I watched him stalk away, his shoulders rigid and fists clenched at his sides. I was rooted in place. I couldn't move. I couldn't even breathe. What was _that_?! What was that! Who was that person? That wasn't James. That wasn't my-what was I even thinking? _My. _Did that word really just cross my mind? He wasn't mine. Obviously he wasn't mine.

"Kaylie?" Kent questioned. Did I walk back to the cubicle? When did I start walking? "Are you okay?"

I shook my head, flopping into my chair and letting the files fall from my hands.

"What happened?!"

I looked at Kent's face hovering before mine, before glancing down at my hands. They were shaking. The cubicle was far too small. There wasn't enough room for the two of us.

I can't breathe," I managed to get out.

"What?" Kent questioned.

"Kent," I gasped, my lungs seizing and throat closing up. "I can't breathe. I really can't…breathe.

I could feel my breaths coming shallower and shallower. Kent immediately dashed from the cubicle. There was a shout of protest, Kent's sharp curse back, and his thundering footsteps. He came before me again and pressed hard against the small of my back so I was forced to bend at the waist. Then a brown paper bag, scrunched at the neck, was shoved under my chin.

"Breathe in and out slowly," he commanded. I tried, it was difficult at first, but eventually I got air to enter my lungs. The taste of whoever's lunch was in this bag filled the back of my throat and almost made me gag. "Keep breathing, Kay."

Finally it was all normal again. Air was reaching my brain. The feeling was back in my finger-tips and I could actually acknowledge that my cheeks were wet with tears.

"Now what the _fuck_ happened?! You haven't had an anxiety attack in years," Kent questioned, kneeling down so he could become eye level with me. And suddenly the crippling numbness I felt however many minutes ago was gone, only to be consumed by anger.

"That bastard is what happened. That complete twat!"

"_Who_?! Teddy?"

"No! Who the hell else would be such a fuck-twit that I would be this angry?!"

"Just so you know there's other adjectives besides 'fuck' and 'twit'," Kent answered weakly, but look appropriately ashamed when I glared at him. "What'd he say to you?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing that I want to talk about! I'm going to lunch!" I exclaimed, standing so quick my chair flew back into the wall of our cubicle. I ripped a memo sheet from the pile and quickly scrawled out a note to Liz, folding it properly and throwing it so it would zoom away and reach her.

Kent was gathering his things, like he was about to join me but I whirled on him.

"No! You're going to file all that rubbish that I didn't actually get to because a certain bloody arsehole stopped me!"

"But-" Kent started to protest, his words dying as I whirled on him. "Well fine then. I'll eat with Louis."

I stalked towards the lifts and shoved a poor intern aside to grab the last arm pull. How _dare _he speak to me that way, like I wasn't even human? Like we didn't even have any sort of past together. Like we didn't mean something to each other at some point. Humans don't talk to people in that way. It's totally confirmed. I made the right decision. He wasn't even mature enough to speak to me face to face without trying to hurt me to make himself feel better. I'm done. I'm so done. I started to speed towards the lunch line when someone grabbed my elbow.

"Whoa there," Lizzie exclaimed, forcing me to wheel around to look at her. "I'm assuming by that chicken scratch you sent me that you wanted to eat lunch now. But, why may I ask, are you as red as a Quaffle? And Merlin, have you been crying. What the hell happened?"

"I am so done with James Sirius Potter," I exclaimed.

Lizzie blinked at me, reaching up to run a dirt caked hand over a dirt smeared forehead.

"What?"

"I'm done with him. I couldn't have made a better decision to sack him. He's pig headed and rude and not something that I can grow with in my future," I declared, feeling my chin jut defiantly.

"And this was brought on by…?"

"By the way he bloody treated me when I ran into him in the hallway!"

"Alright, one…yelling is going to do no good, you're attracting attention. Two…you look crazed. Three…loos, now."

I opened my mouth to argue but Elizabeth grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the loos. Once we were completely she flicked her wand at the knob, locking the door.

"Let's get you fixed up, you loon. Now what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it honestly. I'm just so angry."

"Yeah, I can tell. You look like some pictures of Aunt Ginny when she was younger and yelling at someone," Lizzie sighed, taking a paper towel and roughly wiping at my cheeks. "I suppose anger comes after sadness in the stages of grief, eh?"

"I don't go through stages," I grumbled.

"Shut the hell up," Lizzie laughed. "You and Louis follow instructions like they're going to save your life and you always have. Plus these are natural stages. It's good. It means you're moving on."

"Moving on…" I echoed, gently brushing her hands away and turning to look at myself in the mirror. My face was still the shade of the Fat Lady's dress and even redder where Lizzie wiped away the stained mascara and eyeliner I had on. I hefted my purse on the counter and pulled out my makeup bag, carefully fixing myself so I looked normal again. "I think that's what I need to do."

"I agree," Lizzie replied hesitantly. "Moving on good."

"I just need to find the right bloke," I announced, tossing my makeup bag into my purse and turning around triumphantly.

"_What_?!" Lizzie spluttered. "Are you suggesting you need a oneie?"

"A _what_?"

"A oneie. A one night stand."

One night stand? I've only ever slept with one person. I've only ever kissed two—and frankly I don't like to count one of those. James and I were each other's firsts. James had done other stuff with other girls. I had avoided anything but snogging with Luke. But to sleep with someone is different. It's intimate.

"You don't have to be in love with someone to sleep with them," Lizzie piped up casually.

"I wasn't talking about a one night stand," I sighed. "I hadn't even thought of it."

"Well the phrase goes the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else," Lizzie sang. I gave her an alarmed look and she sighed.

"Look—I'm all for you moving on. But I don't think that jumping into a new relationship is what you need exactly."

"I didn't say relationship," I stated carefully. "I just said bloke."

"I have no idea what you're thinking," Elizabeth groaned with a small 'humph' of frustration.

"I have no idea either," I admitted. "I just can't let him get to me. I need to move on. I need to get as far away from where we were."

"I'd say you should keep things casual then. No titles."

I nodded carefully. Casual dating. I certainly have never tried it. But, Louis has! Louis can explain this to me. He'd be able to rationally explain to me the parameters of 'casual dating'.

"Where's Lou?!" I exclaimed, yanking my purse off the counter and leaning into the mirror to examine my face one last time.

"I have no idea," Lizzie sighed.

"Well let's go find him," I announced, carefully removing my work robes so I could put them away for lunch. "But you might want to wash all the dirt off yourself first?"

Lizzie gave me an annoyed look. Dirt was like her makeup sometimes. She loved the feel of it. I couldn't fathom why. But she scrubbed her dirty hands, shaking them dry before motioning towards the door. I straightened out my shoulders and strutted the best I could out of the loo. Lizzie muttered something behind my back but I chose not to ask what it was. I was too busy scanning the packet mess hall for Lou's bronze head.

"Kaylie! You look much better," Kent exclaimed, grabbing me round the shoulder as he entered the room. I ignored him and flipped to Louis, who was immediately following.

"I need you to tell me all you know about casual dating," I exclaimed, placing both hands on his shoulders. He gave me an alarmed look.

"What the hell is she on?" Kent groaned.

"I have no idea," Lizzie replied. "But we both know when she gets like this there's honestly no stopping her."

I ignored them and yanked Louis towards the nearest table, forcing him into a chair and sitting across from him. He just looked bewildered as I pulled out a notebook and uncapped my pen.

"You're mad," were his first words.

"Please, Lou," I sighed, titling my notes. "I need to know this."

"Why?"

"She ran into James," Kent explained, sitting next to me and ripping the pen from my hands. Lizzie reached across the table from her spot next to Louis and snatched my pad away. "And shut down and then got spitting mad."

"And now she wants to move on," Lizzie put in.

"Oh," Louis blinked. "What the hell did James say to you?"

"That's beside the point," I snapped. "Now talk."

"Not when you're this barmy," Louis declared, sitting back in his seat. I groaned and pressed my forehead against the table.

"I'm not barmy," I argued weakly. The table erupted into sarcastic snorts of laughter. "Okay so maybe a little bit. I just want to move forward. Is that such a bad thing?"

"Of course not," Louis stated simply. "You're just going about it wrong."

"So you don't think I should casually date?"

"No, I think that it's a good idea," Lizzie put in. "But there's no rules to it. There's no procedure you can follow. You just do what you're comfortable with."

"I can do that," I admitted weakly.

"Just go slow," Kent put in. "Let things happen naturally. Don't go looking for a bloke."

"Then how do I meet people?" I questioned.

"You just _do_," Lizzie and Kent stated simultaneously.

I eyed Louis who shrugged and threw a few sickles in from of him before pointing his wand at one of the menu items printed on the table. A bowl of soup and a sandwich appeared steaming in front of him while the coins disappeared. It wasn't until he took his first bite, chewed and swallowed, did he speak.

"Kay, I think moving forward is a great idea. Just note that it might not be exactly what you think you need. I mean I've tried dating after Elena left but it doesn't work the same way.

"I could be a really bad example because I refuse to believe that things won't work out for us in the future, as fanciful and illogical as that is, but dating other people isn't just going on dates. There are feelings attached and sometimes they're the feelings you're not expecting."

"I'm aware of that," I declared hesitantly.

"Are you?" Kent snorted.

"I won't be able to know what I feel until I try," I sighed.


	10. Chapter 10

"Ten more," Roland commanded, adjusting my legs so the pushups I was doing actually did me some good. I groaned, forcing my shaking arms up and down. Pushups could go jump off the Astronomy Tower. And three, two, one. "Good job. Now go meditate. If you two are going to jump back into the veil we want you completely ready."

I flopped forward on the mat and just lay there for a second. My compression workout pants were sticking to my skin, but _luckily_ the mesh bottom half was keeping the back of my knees cool. Sarcasm totally intended. The loose bottom half of my shirt had ridden up on my stomach to the bottom of the attached sport bra. I spent too much time in bed. Obviously once you stop working out you lose it. No more holidays. That workout sucked. That was death.

But meditating sounded beautiful. My mind had been a flurry lately. Trying to come to terms with the fact that I wanted to move forward. Two weeks of filing (all the letters and numbers hurt my head so much by the end of the two weeks I didn't even want to read at home) and finally coming back down to the Veil. That in itself was a lot to be put upon my mind. Merely the fact that I absolutely had to leave behind all my personal shit, for Kent's safety, was enough to make me want to meditate.

Roland cleared his throat impatiently so I groaned and rolled over, easing myself up into my Zen position and gently shutting my eyes. I slowly aligned my chakras and let the numb start from my toes and spread throughout my body. I pushed at the edges of my brain, trying to dump everything out of my mind and wiping the slate clean. Music started blaring. Roland's distraction technique. Still I attempted to stay centered. I attempted to block out all noise. And then I entered that special place. The place Kent and I have deemed the nether-fog. I was in my bubble, floating in something that was lighter than fog but thick enough to hold me and my bubble aloft. If Kent was here I would see him in his bubble. I would be able to let out our tether. Let our link expand so he could go into the veil and gather all we need from there. But he wasn't here so it was just me and my bubble—floating for once without the problems of my everyday life circling around me. And as suddenly as I reached my special state did I pop and go sprawling.

"Ow!" I exclaimed flying flat on my back and blinking rapidly as the lights above me burned into my corneas. Being jolted suddenly from the nether-realm hurt. It was like fireworks in your brain and a jolt of electricity to your body.

"Sorry," Roland shrugged, not sounding very sorry in the least. "You were deep. I've been trying for fifteen minutes, pushing you over seemed to be the only way to break it. You've been meditating for two hours, I figured you'd like to go to lunch."

"Two hours?" I questioned, sitting up and massaging my temples.

"Like I said, you were in deep," Roland replied, writing down something on his clipboard and wandering into the weight room where the slam of metal on metal grinded. I sat there for a second, waiting for the aftershocks to subside, before gently easing myself up. First step, grabbing a headache potion from the Healer. Second step, food. Shouldering on my work robes I lazily made my way over to our private lifts and jabbed the button that would swiftly take me to the Auror floor where the private Healer resided.

"Kaylie?"

Shit. I hadn't run into Mr. Potter since the breakup. I haven't talked to anyone one of the family that hadn't reached out to me first. I'd been too afraid. I can't have them hate me. They've been a part of my life for almost ten years. I can't have people that close to me hate my guts. I tried to pretend I didn't hear him.

"Kaylie!"

Shit. That didn't work so well. I plastered a great big smile on my face and turned around, hoping it wouldn't waver or I wouldn't start crying.

"Hullo, Head Auror Potter," I stated crisply. His own smile faltered slightly.

"Since when am I Head Auror Potter?"

"Since I broke your son's heart and you probably hate me," I stated bluntly, letting the smile slip from my face.

"Kaylie," he sighed, his voice soft and low. Before I could even say another word he pulled me into a hug. "I told you that you and Kent will always be family no matter what happens. Including a breakup."

"But…this is final. How can I be a part of your family when James and I are better off not being in the same room? Take Kent, leave me."

"It'll take time to be in the same room as James. Though I still consider you one of my own. Lily and Albus feel the same way."

"And Mrs. Potter," I questioned, relenting to the usual Ginny I called her.

"She cares for her little cubs but she'll get over it. There was a time that Grandmum Weasley did the same to Hermione and it passed. Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I admitted, stepping back when he released me. "Kent and I are out of file clerk again. We're back down in the Department," I shrugged. "I just came up to get headache potion. I got jolted from meditation a bit too rapidly."

"That's great! Come round for dinner soon?"

"I don't think that'd be the best idea," I admitted. "But I do appreciate your lack of hate towards me."

"Frankly Kaylie, I think you did the right thing. I hate to see James hurting but your reasons were solid. You might just be the reason he grows up a bit."

"I hope so," I replied, feeling my throat restrict slightly and my nose begin to burn. "I really just want him happy. That's all I want."

"It'll come," Harry shrugged. "Now go ahead to Sabrina—I'll send my love to the family from you."

And with that he turned and headed back to his office. The conversation couldn't have lasted more than five minutes but I was left with a small ache in the pit of my stomach. I missed having Harry around. He always seemed to be a calming force. Always seemed to just get life around him. I suppose it was his past, everything he's been through, but he was always there for me when I got confused by the harder points in my life. It was comforting, his words, but it still hurt due to the person they were ultimately coming from.

Shaking off the heavy feeling around me, I rolled the newly acquired potion in my hands and took the lift to the top floor mess hall. It was packed. Usually when we work down in the Department of Mysteries we don't actually get to have lunch up here because we take lunch at queer hours—but for noon it was full with barely a table to eat at. My head still pounded and the din of the room certainly didn't help. All I wanted was to take my potion, eat, and go to sleep but there was still half a day left. Just the thought made me tired. I was about to just grab something to-go when I noticed Louis tucked in a four top table with one other mate I didn't recognized.

"Hey Lou," I chirped, after I wound my way over to him. "Got room?"

Louis and his friend looked up from bent conversation and they both smiled. I'm surprised I didn't recognize his mate considering Louis and I knew most of each other's friends but this one I didn't know.

He was ruggedly good looking. In almost a magazine model way but not that perfect. You know: chiseled jaw, rugged brow, his arms and chest looked well-built even under the neat pinstriped dress shirt he wore under his dove gray robes. So he worked in the archives with Louis, then. He was handsome, even I couldn't look around it. I found myself peering at him as I sat down next to Louis. A strange feeling spread through the pit of my stomach. It took me a couple seconds to realize I was attracted to him and it was making me nervous. There were actual butterflies in my stomach. But I can't be attracted to him. I was still so in love with James. I mean I shouldn't be but I couldn't deny that he didn't haunt my dreams at night. I felt guilty. That was it. I was feeling guilty that I found someone else attractive.

"Louis," he stated, leaning back in his chair and looking straight at me. I felt my cheeks heat up so I busied myself with unplaiting my hair. "Are you going to introduce us?"

"Hm?" Louis questioned, his sandwich halfway to his mouth. He quickly looked between us before giving me a pointed look. "Oh, well, this is Kaylie Scott and Kay this is Westley Patterson. He works in the Arithmacy department in Archives. Kaylie is obviously an Unspeakable."

"I can see that. Don't meet such young and attractive ones so often," Westley declared casually. I choked on the headache potion I was busying myself with taking so I wouldn't have to look directly at Westley. I began to splutter, grabbing Louis' water and chugging some down to clear my airway. I felt some of it dribble down my chin. Oh Merlin, can the floor just open up and take me now?

"Are you okay?" he questioned quickly passing me a clean napkin. I cringed as I wiped my face and nodded.

"I got jolted from meditation and it gives you a completely disgusting headache," I blurted out, cringing again. Westley smiled and conjured a cup, filling it with water and handing it to replace Louis' commandeered one.

"Yeah, those potions can taste like bogies."

Oh. He was giving me an out for acting like a complete fool. But why was I even acting a fool in the first place? I shouldn't be flustered. I shouldn't be nervous. I was still mourning. Yes, I declared I was going to move on but that was two weeks ago and the bravado of the statement has worn off a bit. Lizzie said when I'm ready it'll just happen. Does this mean I'm ready? Does this attraction to him mean anything or am I just attracted to him?

"Thanks for the napkin," I grinned. "And for not acknowledging that I just acted somewhat like a mental patient."

Smooth, why'd _I_ bring it up?

"It's alright. Always the gentleman," Westley laughed, throwing his own napkin on his plate and gathering up a neat brown leather suitcase. "Well the numbers call. It was nice to meet you Kaylie."

"Yeah," I muttered, bowing my head in embarrassment. "Pleasure meeting you, Westley."

I covered my face with my hands as his footsteps retreated. Well that was just ace. He probably thinks I'm completely barmy. Wonderful, really.

"Kaylie," Louis snorted, pulling my hands away. "You like him."

"I do not," I argued. "I don't even know him."

"Well you find him fit. Otherwise you wouldn't have acted like a complete loon," Louis laughed.

"Is that bad?" I questioned hesitantly. "I mean I feel like I'm cheating on James by merely finding him attractive."

"Kaylie, you broke up with James," Louis pointed out. "And not two weeks ago you were raving about moving on. I think the moment might have presented itself in a way to show you that maybe you're more ready than you thought you were. Maybe Westley is that moment where it just happens naturally?"

"I can't move on if…"

"Sorry to interrupt."

I looked up and immediately blushed again. Westley had returned, a small smile on his face and the tips of his ears pink.

"No, it's alright," I exclaimed quickly. Bloody hell, what'd he hear?

"I was just walking towards the lift and beating myself up because I didn't ask you if you wanted to get coffee with me sometime?" Westley questioned hesitantly. I felt the fluttering feeling in the pit of my stomach again. I opened my mouth to say no automatically, that I had a boyfriend, but Louis' face stopped me. I said two weeks ago I was going to move on. I made a huge deal about it. Kent, Liz, and Lou all warned me that when the time came it would come naturally. This was about as natural as I could get, I suppose. I mean I was in workout gear and not even wearing makeup. So as the syllables of 'no' formed in my mind I surprisingly found myself saying…

"I'd love to."

* * *

**Kent**

* * *

Ow. Ouch. Bloody hell. Ow.

I hobbled up to the flat door and managed to get it open and myself to the couch before completely collapsing. I could feel my heartbeat in my thighs. I hate leg weights. I hate leg weights _almost_ as much as I hate meditation days. Meditation is worse though. It's like there's this itch behind my skull and there's no way to scratch it. Leg weights just make it so I can't walk.

I was just settling into the couch cushions when there was a loud pounding at the flat door. I groaned, contemplating getting up to actually answer it, but decided that wasn't worth the pain and merely flicked my wand at the door allowing it to swing open.

Lizzie came barging in like a whirlwind and threw my legs off the couch so she could jump onto it with her knees. I let out a pathetic whimper at the mere action of the whole sequence.

"Legs day, Liz. Legs day," I whined, massaging at my calves. Lizzie didn't look appropriately sorry before barreling on with whatever she had to say. It wasn't until the third sentence in of her talking at such a pitch dogs couldn't understand it did I stop her.

"Can't understand a single word you're saying," I declared, grabbing hold of her shoulders and depositing her onto the floor as gently as I could (it wasn't that gentle) so I could put my legs back up.

"You can repeat yourself now," I stated as she glared at me.

"Well before you so rudely threw me off the couch I was trying to tell you that Kaylie, your sister, has a date tomorrow afternoon."

"She has a _what_?!"

Lizzie and I froze. I gently eased myself up so I could look over the back of the couch and cringed. James was just in the junction of the living room and the kitchen. He had a plate of food, but it was half on the floor now as he looked wide-eyed at Liz and me.

"Fuck," Elizabeth cursed. "I should've checked where he was."

"Repeat yourself. What the bollocks did you just say?"

"I didn't say anything!" Lizzie squeaked, ducking back down and pressing her forehead against the couch so she wouldn't have to look at James.

"You said that Kaylie has a _date_! Who the fuck with? I'm going to bloody murder him."

"Oi!" I exclaimed, chucking a pillow in his direction (it landed in the food). "You don't have a right to. Whatever you said to her when you ran into her last basically pushed her to wanting to move on. There wasn't anything we could say to convince her otherwise."

"A date? With someone else?" James repeated.

"Maybe you should get one too James?" Lizzie questioned into the couch cushion.

"_Me_? Date someone else?" James spluttered. "Right."

"No think about it," Lizzie exclaimed, popping up so she could see James over the back of the couch. "The single _best_ way to get over someone is to get _under_ someone else!"

"That's awful advice," I hissed. She smacked my leg and I whimpered.

"Are you serious?" James laughed. "Like I would go shag someone else."

"Yes, I'm serious," Liz declared. "You need to move on. I hate to break it to you but unless you really listen to what Kaylie was telling you when you broke up you're not getting back together. It's your decision but if she's moving on maybe you should too?"

James didn't reply. He merely stared at the plate of food he was still holding and wordlessly walked back down the hallway to his room.

I looked bewilderedly at Lizzie. She looked appropriately aghast at herself.

"What did I just do?" she groaned.

"You told him to go fuck a bird," I explained slowly. She glared at me.

"I mean it'll be better than him going back to angry giant James," she pointed out. "It's out there—there's no taking it back. Unless you can smuggle me a time-turner."

"You know there's none left—your dad helped destroy them all," I laughed, edging my legs off the couch and groaning as I stood. "Now I have to go meet Freckles."

"Ooh," Lizzie cooed. "What's going on with her?"

"Absolutely nothing," I groaned, throwing up a hand in frustration. "I drop hints all the time that we'd be the match that fits but she keep setting me up with girls. Does she not take the hint that none of them are working because I want her?"

"Oh Merlin, you're disgusting!" Lizzie snorted. "Just man-up and ask her out. Tell her all that."

"Right and have her back away as fast as she can. She's already made it perfectly clear she doesn't like me that way."

"Then quit torturing yourself and stop hanging out with her," Lizzie suggested.

"I wish I could," I grumbled, limping to my room and yanking open my closet. I quickly changed out of my workout gear and into jeans and a fitted hoodie. Maybe I should shower? I checked my watch. I was already late. She was already off work. Cologne. That'll work.

I snatched my only bottle (a gift from an ex-girlfriend) and liberally sprayed myself before downing a pain potion and dashing from the room. Lizzie was still lounging on the couch, flipping through channels on the telly.

"Sticking around?" I questioned, pulling my coat and scarf off the hook by the door.

"Kaylie isn't off until eight, she had paperwork. Why go home to an empty flat?" Lizzie shrugged, kicking off her shoes and swaddling herself in an old blanket Grandmum Weasley made. I rolled my eyes at her ability to make herself at home and lighted down the stairs to take the brisk walk to _Harding's Place_.

It's now rounding the middle of September and Caroline has set me up with three different girls. It always ended with me breaking it off with them after a few dates. I just couldn't bring myself to lead them on. Lizzie was right. I should cut off contact with Freckles—it'd be a lot easier on me because I was definitely becoming attached. What the hell, I was already attached. There was no cutting off contact. I was in too deep. There was only one way to get myself out of this. I needed to ask her out and take the rejection. I mean maybe then it'll be easier to walk away.

"About time!"

I grinned and jogged the last couple of steps to the back entrance of the restaurant.

"Thought you were going to stand me up," Caroline quipped, tossing me a wrapped burger. I lofted it in thanks and settled next to her on the curb. "Why were you late? Well later than usual? And why do you smell like my grandfather?"

I sniffed my shoulder and frowned. I thought the cologne smelled alright.

"It was workout day and I didn't shower so I thought cologne would work," I shrugged. Caroline burst into laughter.

"You just smell like you're masking the sweat. Chuck that bottle as soon as you get home," she commanded. "So late…reasons."

"Drama," I snorted. "What else?"

"Ooh—you always have the best sort of drama. What's going on with your sister and James in this chapter?"

"Kaylie got a date," I announced. "And Liz—the bleeding idiot, told James that he should get under someone to get over her."

Caroline burst into laughter again, this time having to put down her steaming cup of tea and lean into me as she snorted in heavy mirth.

"That's a mess you shouldn't touch," she giggled, choking slightly on the air as she settled down from her fit. She fully calmed down and changed emotions so quickly it made me almost worried. She went from acting like a loon to being quiet and contemplative. "But speaking of messes you shouldn't touch, I was thinking about what you were talking about last week."

I circled back to last week, trying to figure exactly what she was referring too. She was really interested in the process of me trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life; going into prank production with James or 'following what I was meant to do' with Kaylie.

"That sounds dangerous," I commented finally. Caroline rolled her eyes and playfully shoved my shoulder.

"No seriously—I was curious about how you decided your career for a reason. I mean I don't want to be a waitress forever and I didn't think that I'd actually find someone I could talk to this about," she shrugged. "Look—I don't really talk to people about this…"

"About what?" I laughed.

"About myself," she stated carefully. That immediately shut the chuckles escaping me. Carefully I placed a hand over hers and gave it a light squeeze.

"You can talk about whatever you want with me, Freckles. It's not going anywhere," I urged. She smiled softly, glancing down at our hands.

"I know that. Look—I don't want to be a bloody waitress for the rest of my life but I don't think what I want to do is actually possible," she declared, untangling our fingers and tugging at the ends of her long fringe.

"Well what would you like to do?" I questioned carefully.

"When I was little both my parents and grandparents worked for the Ministry. I got left with our Muggle neighbors _a lot _and when I started showing signs of magic they didn't understand and _obliviate_ was brought into the picture. It just wasn't fun.

"So I was thinking if there was some sort of daycare at the ministry kids could be around proper care with others of their kind and it would really benefit everyone. I mean that's what matters—having someplace for them to go _before _primary school where the accidental magic becomes less frequent. But I don't think it's possible."

When she stopped talking she bit deep on her bottom lip, looking at me with big brown eyes…like she was just waiting for the rejection of her dream.

"I think it's a brilliant idea, Freckles," I exclaimed, beaming at her. "It certainly would've made Kaylie and I's life more fun when we were growing up. I mean we had each other but we were under the same situation."

"You really think it's a good idea?" she questioned with a small disbelieving smile.

"Really," I stated, slinging an arm around her shoulder. "I'll even talk to Hermione Granger to figure out who you need to contact to put the idea out there to the ministry."

"You'd do that for me?" Caroline questioned with a small half quirk of her lips.

"You doubt that I would?" I snorted.

"I think you deserve a prize for that," she started. My heart began to yammer. Maybe I wouldn't have to tell her how I feel? Maybe she'll beat me to it? "I have a new prospect for you! Hopefully she'll last longer than the last one. I mean you sure are picky."

Bloody hell. Does she not get it? Does she not pick it up?

"Are you blind?" I blurted out, making her jump a bit. She cringed slightly but I barreled on. "Caroline, there's a reason that I'm so picky. Do you not see that I don't like any of the girls you send my way because I like you?"

"Kent," Caroline sighed, her lips pursed together. "Of course I can see it. And of course I can't deny that I'm attracted to you as well but frankly I don't do serious relationships."

"That's all? That's why you push yourself away from me when I drop hints that I'd like to date you? Because you don't do serious? Are you daft?"

"Hey," Caroline snapped. "No need to insult me!"

"Since when have I ever eluded that I wouldn't be okay with something less than completely serious?" I questioned.

"Since you came to me to find you a match," she argued.

"Lies," I laughed. "You offered it. I accepted but obviously it hasn't worked out. I want to date you and I'll do it in any means that you'll accept me as."

"I don't think it's a good idea unless it's really casual," she stated after a few seconds of tense silence.

"Then really casual it is. I'll pick you up tomorrow at your place at six," I declared, standing up and brushing my hands. Caroline opened her mouth to argue but I raised my eyebrows at her. "Casually of course."

"You're ridiculous," she stated with a small snort but grinned anyways.

"Get ready for a casual date that will blow your mind, Freckles," I announced as I backed down the sidewalk. I didn't turn around to walk properly until she had picked up all the rubbish and made her way down the opposite direction.

* * *

**James**

* * *

A date?! A date. Kaylie is going on a date. With someone who is not me. Someone other than me. Why wasn't I crying? Why wasn't I _manly_ crying? Why wasn't I falling to pieces? I think I'm in shock. I honestly think I'm in shock.

"POTTER!"

I wasn't in enough shock for _her_.

"Haven't you caused enough trouble today, Longbottom?" I groaned, rolling over on my stomach and burying my face into my pillow. I may be in shock but Lizzie was Lizzie and she was sure as hell not going to leave it alone. I just wanted it left alone. I tried thinking about. Thinking about her proposition but I couldn't even fathom the thought of doing it. Of course if I tried I knew it wouldn't be hard. I was a lady killer in my hay day. Birds were in love with me, even when I was taken. I was a Quidditch star. I was _James Potter_. Kent and Louis used to tease me that I was part Veela. But even though I could…I don't think I actually _can_. "Just go away."

"No!" Lizzie exclaimed, flopping across my back. "I have an idea."

Oh Merlin.

"Your first one was stupid so this second one can't be any better. I can't betray Kaylie in that way," I groaned, slipping my hand under my pillow and fingering the edge of a photo Victoire gave me from the wedding. Kaylie looked so beautiful. Radiant. And the way she looked at me and the way I looked at her. I felt my throat constrict. I'm a pathetic piece of shit. Here come the manly tears again.

"James," Lizzie started, the weight leaving my back. "What are you feeling under your pillow?"

"Nothing Liz," I managed to choke out. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

"No way Jemmy," she declared, rushing around to the head of my bed and grabbing at my wrist. I tried to force it to stay under but Lizzie used her other hand to tickle my side, making me jerk and release the picture. Lizzie looked at it, a frown etched upon her brow and her brown eyes wide. "_Oh James! _Why do you torture yourself?! That's it. I'm not letting you pathetically stay in your room anymore. Since you've been back to work it's all you do. Go to the shop, sit there miserably, miserably take a lunch, come home and miserably be in your room. Go. Get. In. The. Shower."

"Why should I listen to you?" I grumbled, wrapping my arms around my pillow and pulling it closer to my chin.

"Because I care about you and I think it's time you try to get out there. If she can do it so can you."

"She can do it because she dumped me," I snapped. "Remember?"

"More the reason," Lizzie announced, pocketing my picture. "More the reason for you to get out there and see the world, including other girls. We're going to get hot to trot and we're going to get names and take numbers because nobody can deny you when you've got me as a wing woman!"

"Hot to trot?" I repeated, stifling a snort of laughter. I turned my head. Lizzie's face was glowing, her arms held wide like she was presenting some big idea. I wanted to say 'no'. Every fiber of my being was saying 'no'. Every molecule in my body was saying 'no'. But Lizzie's face was saying 'yes and that I had no choice but to say yes as well or she might physically hurt me'."

"I'll go get in the shower."

"That's the attitude! I'll pick out your outfit and kip home to change! Be ready to party and get absolutely pissed!"

When I dragged myself out of the shower ten minutes later I felt the dread settling in. This was a really bad idea. Kent wasn't back from his date with Caroline so I had no second opinion. I didn't particularly have no opinion to form myself because the shock of everything still hadn't really faded away. I was functioning on Lizzie's orders because frankly I couldn't think of anything else to do. It had to be the right choice because what other choice did I have?

Lying on my bed was the plain black button up shirt I wore to last year's Christmas party, one of my faded Beatles shirts, a pair of my best fitting jeans and some Chuck's trainers. Carefully I pulled on the shirts and was trying to pull on my jeans when Lizzie burst through the door again.

"Oi!" I exclaimed, flopping over with my pants halfway up my arse. "Changing here."

"Don't really care here," Lizzie snapped back, popping her hip and raising an eyebrow. If she wasn't like a sister to me she would be really fit in a tight blue dress that was see through in most of the back and a section in the middle and her black boots. "No, leave the shirt un-buttoned and roll up the sleeves. You know how to dress better than this, are you daft?"

"Right now I don't even know my own name," I admitted, doing what she ordered as she leaned into the mirror and adjusted some of the hair that was out of the knot on the top of her head. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"I don't think you have a choice," Elizabeth shrugged, but turning and smiling at me regardless. "We're going to go out and have a little bit of fun. I think it's time we did. We haven't hung out in forever and I can help you Jemmy."

"Bethy," I sighed, retorting one childhood nickname for another (she scowled at me). "I don't think I'm ready."

"When will you ever be if you don't try?" she questioned with a small smirk. "Now let's get out of here."

* * *

**Kaylie**

* * *

"Do I look alright?" I questioned, tugging at the edge of the cold compress over Lizzie's eyes. That's what she gets for going out and getting pissed for no reason. I mean, honestly, who goes out to a bar by themselves? She slid her eyes towards me and sat up, scrubbing at the rings of black that were left around her eyes. The circled her finger so I twirled, making the pleated skirt of the green dress I wore, twirl around me. I immediately felt up to make sure the peter pan collar didn't go astray in the twirl.

"What shoes are you wearing?" she croaked, not even bothering leaning over to look at my feet. "If I move I hurl."

"The camel colored lace up boots with the heel, oh and my cream wool peacoat because it's freezing," I replied dryly.

"Take my cream handbag. The structured one. It'll match perfect. Then leave me here to die!" Lizzie exclaimed, burrowing further under her covers.

"Speaking of dying," I laughed, grabbing a few pins off her dresser to loosely tie back the top half of my hair. "Why would you go out alone last night? You could've asked me. I mean with the hangover you have today I'm surprised you made it home alive."

"Who said I went out alone?" Lizzie groaned.

"You did…" I sighed. "When you came home last night you were babbling about going out alone."

"No—I went out with James," she announced. "Trying to get him to find someone to move on with."

"_What_?!" I choked, the lippy I was midway putting on going up my cheek. "You were trying to _what_? How could you?!"

"No!" Lizzie snapped, whipping a finger at me like I was the Potter's dog, Padfoot, and I did something bad. "You are not allowed to be angry when you're totally getting ready to go on a date yourself. It's a two way road. You don't get to go on a date and not let him move on as well!"

"I wasn't going to suggest that," I stated hotly, all while trying to scrub off the pink line from my cheeks. "I was merely going to ask how it went."

"Oh stuff it. You were about to go arse over tit about it all. Kaylie you can't move on and expect James to stay in one place. You dumped him so you can move on with your life. Subsequently he's allowed to as well."

I sucked in a breath. Lizzie has a way of becoming far to blunt for her own good when she's grumpy and hung over. But she was right. James had every right as I did to move on.

"Did it go well," I repeated, carefully applying a fresh coat of lippy.

"No," Lizzie snorted. "It went miserable. Absolutely miserable."

Oh. Well that was a bit light heartening.

Merlin. That was a malicious thought. It was one of the first absolute malicious thought I've had about James since the breakup. I've been angry. I've been sad. But I've never been malicious and that scared me.

"I'm going to be late," I announced suddenly, yanking the bag Lizzie prompted me to take and rocketing out of the room. I just thought ill-wishes of James. The one man I was certain that I loved more than anything. Why would that thought ever cross my mind? It was disturbing and made me feel almost dirty. So as I locked the flat door behind me I hoped these negative thoughts wouldn't cloud over the already nervous energy I possessed going on my way to moving on with my life.

* * *

**Oh ho hohohoho. Don't hate me. And don't hate me more next chapter. Sorry guys. **


	11. Chapter 11

"I'm too hung over to be here right now," I groaned, planting my face against the counter and massaging my temples. There was a gigantic crash of symbols near my face, making my ears ring, head swim, and greasy (hangover cure) breakfast rise to my throat. Then, through my singing ears, came Fred's giggle. I blindly threw out a fist hoping to make contact but just swung at air.

"You _actually_ went out last night?" Fred questioned. "When was the last time you went out?"

"You know the answer to that question," I grumbled. "Lizzie told me that I needed to get under someone to get over the fact that Kaylie has moved on and is dating someone else now. She told me I needed to go out and it wasn't really a question more than an order."

"Oi! Mate! That's the best philosophy!" Fred exclaimed, his butt winding up next to my face as he jumped up onto the counter. "How'd it go? Did you get any? I'm very excited about this."

"I'm very annoyed by you," I snapped. "It was a disaster…for the most part."

"For the most part? For the most part?! Those Hogwarts kids are going to be here in fifteen minutes—start talking. I want to know every soggy sordid detail."

"Not something I want to talk about, but to be honest I'm sure it's the most interesting story of the week," I snorted, my mind drifting. "But for the sake of you leaving me the fuck alone I'll break it down by bird."

* * *

**James Potter's Night of Epic Failure**

* * *

_Girl No 1._

"Okay James," Lizzie exclaimed, "I know it's been a while since you've been on the broom but now's your hour. Now's your time. You're hot. You're available and you're going to go buy _that_ girl a drink."

I followed Lizzie's point to one of the girls perched at the bar. Short skirt, long blonde hair, drop dead really. And the complete opposite of Kaylie. Okay I can do this. I used to be the master of this. I can do this. I shot back the douse of firewhiskey that Lizzie handed me and tried my best to saunter my way over to the girl.

I went to casually rest my elbow on the bar when I hit a wet patch, my elbow went sliding and my face went straight into the polished wood of the bar top.

_(Smooth. Just smooth, James.)  
(I'll stop talking, Fredrick.)_

_ (Continue.)_

"Ohmigod!" she exclaimed as I attempted to lift myself up with dignity. "Are you okay?"

I blinked at her for a second, spastically waved my hand, screamed an unintelligible hello and scampered back to Lizzie. She had both hands clamped over her mouth and her eyes wide. I thought it was from shock until I noticed her shoulders shaking in laughter.

_Girl No 2. _

"So the first few were a dud," Lizzie sighed, as we settled at a new pub.

"Duds," I snorted. "That's how you're putting it?"  
"You were just a tad bit over-enthusiastic with the hellos. I mean that last one clutched her ear, James," Lizzie giggled. "Just try lowering the volume a tad, eh? And acting a bit normal?" Right, normal. What does that even mean any more? I scanned the bar for someone that could be my 'type', even though I knew my only type had curly brown hair, turquoise eyes, and broke my heart. But the red head with the bob will do for now. I took a swallow of my mixed drink and boldly tapped her on her shoulder. She flipped around, her eyes narrowed slightly, but they widened when they focused on me and she (miraculously) smiled.  
"Hi!" she declared over the din of the surrounding patrons.

"Hi!" I replied, trying and (hopefully succeeding) in giving her a charming smile. "I'm James!"

"Cathy!"

"Nice. Well, can I buy you a drink or something?"

"I already have one so you don't need to use that line," she laughed, lofting her beer. I internally cringed.

"Well do you read?"

(_Read?! READ! _You_ don't even read, you bloody minger.)_

"Yeah! I just finished 'A Witches Guide to Get a Guy in Ten Days_'_, it was just an easy read but funny!"

"Oh! My girlfriend, Kaylie, read that!"

_Girl No 3._

"Can I buy you a drink, Makayla?"

"Yeah," the busty blonde replied, swishing her hair over her shoulder.

_(I like this one so far_)

I took the drink from the bar tender and in the process of passing it to the girl I spilt it all down the front of her top.

"Oh Merlin!" I exclaimed, hastily grabbing for the pile of cocktail napkins next to me and starting to smear them across her chest. She slapped me.

_Girl No 4._

"Hi! Did you know you have spinach in your teeth?!"

_Girl No 5. _

I didn't even walk up to this one. She smiled at me from across the room and I lost control of my jaw or something and my drink dribbled all out of my mouth.

* * *

"And that was the point where I gave up," I concluded, pulling my apron to cover my face as I lay on the floor of the shop. "I'm not sure you can beat that story."

"One there's no 'for the most part' of that story. It's really quite horrid and you're pathetic. But, two I'm almost 100% sure that I win, this week," Fred announced, still perched on the counter.

"Right Fred," I snorted. "Like you can beat feeling up a girl after assaulting her with a drink."

"Well I'm married," he stated simply. I sat bolt upright and gaped at my cousin. "So for warning when Adder gets here she might be acting a bit queer."

"I'm still stuck on the _married part_. What!? Why? How?!" I declared.

Fred sat back like he was about to tell me quite a tale and crossed his legs.

"Well, we were having another row about me asking her to marry me over and over again when suddenly she got so fed up she agreed. I asked her if she was serious and she said she was so then we shagged.

After that bit was over with I told her I still didn't believe that she'd actually go through with it so she dragged me out of bed and to the ministry and we—well we got married."

"You're kidding me?! The _ministry_?"

"Yeah who knew they perform marriage ceremonies," Fred shrugged. "Anyways then we go home and go back to bed and she hasn't really spoken about it since."

"Well when did it happen?" I questioned hesitantly.

"Two weeks ago," Fred announced, hopping off the counter and checking his watch. He immediately went over to the shelves and began to organize, a sign we were going to have to get to work soon.

"Wait," I snapped. "You've been _married_ two weeks and you haven't talked about it?!"

"I frankly think she's in shock and has blocked it out of her memory. I'm afraid to bring it up. I haven't even made any jokes calling her Mrs. Weasley yet," he sighed as the bell went off at the door. He turned as red as his dad's hair and flapped his hands at me. "Here she comes, don't you say anything. I'm taking advantage of the married bliss."

Bliss? Fred was married. Fred who I thought for sure would be a bachelor forever. It made my stomach turn that I didn't exactly tell the end of my story because now I don't know exactly how it made me feel. I've been feeling guilty about it but he had made such a big deal about it being a good thing if I had hooked up with someone, which I did.

* * *

**Kaylie**

* * *

I could feel my heart in my throat. All the way up there. To my chin. I could feel more then butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It was vultures. This wasn't something I was particularly used to. The last time I felt like this wasn't connected to a good memory or even a good person. The last time I went on a first date was with Luke Masters. The last time I went on a first date the guy tried to kill me. James and I never really had a first date. We just got together and that was that. There was no butterflies. There was no second-guessing. There wasn't any of that because of the magic that Luke used to block my feelings. It was a strange concept. I didn't like not knowing what things were like. I didn't like not knowing what to do.

As I rounded the corner to the café, I immediately spotted Westley. He was sitting at a corner table, under a colorful umbrella, and the look on his face could only be one that mimicked mine. So he was nervous as well. I liked knowing that, at least. I spent about an hour last night using Lizzie and I's shared computer to look up questions to ask on a first date. It let me feel like I was in control of the situation. I needed to know if he was what I was looking for. If he was the step I was looking to take in my life. I even made a list of attributes that I was looking for in a significant other. I was as prepared for this date as I could be.

He stood when he saw me, a huge smile on his face and his honey hair glinting in the crisp fall sun. It made a warm drop fall into the pit of my stomach. He immediately pulled out my chair for me and pushed it in wen I sat down.

Check. He was a gentleman.

He looked like Louis would dress but more coifed. Louis took proper and scruffed it up a bit, the Weasley in him way to dominant to be completely proper. But Westley wasn't a Weasley. He looked perfectly poised in a collared polo and pull over sweater and khaki pants. When he shook out the cuffs of his sweater an impressively shined wizarding watch glinted in the sun. His hair was perfectly combed and he was clean down to his nails.

Check. He was neat.

"You look beautiful," he breathed out, touching my fingertips with his. I instinctively pulled away and a small frown filtered through his eyes.

"Thanks," I shrugged, giving him a smile to make up for my pulling away. He returned it, his teeth white and straight, and his blue eyes bright. "It's probably better than my work out gear."

"I could tell then you were more than that," he announced earnestly. I smiled again, glancing down at my hands.

"So…Westley," I started. He cringed a bit and shook his head.

"Call me West," he explained.

"West," I smiled, reaching into my bag and pulling out my small notepad. I flipped it open to my list of questions and scanned them carefully. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Yeah, an older sister. She's abroad in France right now though. Lives there."

"And how old are you?" I continued.

"Twenty-six," he laughed. "I graduated Hogwarts with Teddy Lupin if you know of him? Except I was in Ravenclaw."

"I do know of Teddy," I replied. "His daughter, Violet, is my god-daughter. What do you find rewarding about your job?"

"Whoa," he declared, laughter still alight in his eyes. He reached across the table and wrestled the notebook from me. "This isn't an interview. It's a date, Kaylie."

"I thought a date was like an interview," I sighed.

"So you Google questions to ask me?" he smiled. "A date is just a conversation to get to know each other. It'll flow easily—you'll see. So you're Violet's god-mother? I didn't know you were close with the Lupin's. I mean I knew you knew Louis, that's all."

"Yeah," I smiled, my cheeks hot for being called out on my process. "Victoire and I are really close. My brother and I are close to most of the family."

"You have a brother?"

"A twin," I announced proudly. "Except I'm two minutes younger, which Kenneth doesn't ever let me forget."

"I get what it's like being a younger sibling, though mine is two years not two minutes," West laughed. "Would you still like to know what the most rewarding part of my job is?"

"Yes, actually," I giggled. "I've never known someone to work in the Arithmacy department."

"I could say the same about you, Ms. Unspeakable. But the best part about my job is cracking that code. When all the tumblers fall in place and you finally unlock the lock its like the best magic in the world."

Check. He's smart.

"I always liked Arithmacy in school," I explained. "I was happy I needed to take it in my N.E.W.T Levels though Kent hated it. I had to help him with most of the work."

"So you're both Unspeakables?"

"We're kinda supposed to be I guess," I admitted. "Our Mum is the Head of the Department. She always made it clear that we didn't have to but we kind of had to."

"Did you want to?"

I paused then. Did I really want to become an Unspeakable? If it wasn't for my 'destiny' would I still follow in Mum's footsteps?

"I don't know," I answered. "I don't know what'd I'd be if I wasn't. Kent I think would've liked to developed jokes with James."

"James?"

Hearing his name from West's mouth made my insides cringe. It was like speaking ill of the dead. I could tell him now. James is my ex-boyfriend of seven years. But part of me knew, as inexperienced with dating as I was, that that wasn't the right thing to say.

"My brother's flatmate. The three of us grew up at Hogwarts together. He's…like a brother," I concluded quietly, taking hold of my mug of tea and sipping it for lack of something to do. He put sugar in it for me instead of honey.

"See," he declared. "This is conversation. It's not that hard to be on a date."

"It's been a while since I've been on a date," I admitted.

"How long?" he questioned.

"We're not going to go there," I laughed, thankfully interrupted by the waitress.

"What can do for you today?"

"Oh, Kaylie, they have a fantastic Panini here. We'll take two of the pesto ones—you're not allergic to nuts are you?"

"Pine nuts are actually seeds," I put in. West gave me a confused look. "Pesto is made with pine nuts which aren't technically a nut. But I guess that Panini is fine."

My mind couldn't help but drift to my dates with James. He always said I ordered better. I could hardly eat my meal because he would always pick from my plate. Either that or we'd order our top two favorites and share. It was weird having someone order for me. It was nice not to think, I suppose.

The date went by quickly from there. More and more I found myself comparing our date to ones that James and I went on. There was certainly more laughter in those dates. But I was done looking for laughs. They were a nice addition but I'm done with the pranks and the jokes. West has his life together. He has a great job. A passion for numbers, which is a relief to have a passion for a practical stance and not a joking. Jokes are nice but they're not something you take seriously when you're not looking to make a career of them like Fred or his dad. After a 'shared' dessert of a brownie Sunday (I got to order this one, though I'd rather not share dessert at all which was certainly something James knew) we started down the street towards an Apparation point.

"I had a really nice time," he declared, slipping his hand through mine. I wanted to stiffen but I told myself to calm down. This was a date after all. Holding hands happens. So I laced my fingers through his and tried to relax.

"I did too. It was nice conversation. You've really got your life together," I giggled. "It's refreshing."

We let ourselves into the portioned off area that was blocked from the Muggles view. It was a convenient Apparition point but usually packed to the brim because of the urban area. For a Saturday afternoon it was unusually quiet. I released his hand and turned to face him. Do we hug? I don't know. What was appropriate? What was the norm?

Awkwardly I stuck out my hand to shake his. He looked at it for a second before leaning in and connecting his lips with mine. At first it was foreign and not right. It weren't the pair of lips that were usually on mine. These were different. These were not normal. But as his hand slipped around my lower back and he pulled me closer I found myself melting into it. It wasn't bad to be foreign or un-normal. It was different. But that wasn't bad, I guess. So as he pulled away, I found my eyes still closed, still calculating exactly how I felt.

"You're a funny girl, Kaylie Scott, but I really would like to see you again. Would that be alright?" West questioned, clearing some of my hair out of my face. I was still kinda speechless. I was still trying to figure out how I felt. So I merely nodded and watched him turn in and around himself with a large '_crack'._

* * *

**Kent**

* * *

"Alright, Scott, what's your grand plan?" Caroline questioned as I followed her down her flat steps and out to the streets. I snorted.

"What plan?" I replied. Caroline stopped walking and stared at me.

"You didn't plan out this date?" she questioned. "Kent it's a date."

"It's a casual date!" I exclaimed. "So we're just going to go along with it. But first I have to do something."

"Oh, so now we're doing an errand on a date," Caroline grumbled under her breath. I grabbed her elbow and whipped her to me, pressing my lips against hers. She stiffened at first, in surprise, but then relaxed into it. Her arms were wound around my neck as I pulled her close to me and made sure to get in exactly what I've wanted to do from the first week I've met her. When I pulled away she blinked at me, her brow furrowed, and her now kiss bruised bottom lip caught between her teeth.

"I just wanted to get that over with," I admitted.

"You wanted to get kissing me over with," she repeated with a small edge to her voice.

"It's always an awkward moment at the end. I just wanted to get it over with," I replied with a small smile. She frowned at me for a second more so I leaned in and gave her another one. Softer this time and reluctantly shorter. "Smile, you look better."

"Gee thanks," she snorted but smiled at me anyways. "Well what now?"

"Now we walk," I concluded, holding out my hand. Caroline stared at it for a second before grabbing it with a bit of force.

"This is weird," she added.

"No it's not. You're weird," I fought. Weird? Does that mean no more casual dating? Does that mean I've lost her completely?

"No—I'm enjoying myself. That's weird."

Oh. Score one for Kenneth.

"All we've done is snog a bit," I pointed out.

"That's always enjoyable," she fought.

"Well fine," I finished. She smirked at me and leaned over kissing the corner of my mouth.

"Does casual dating usually include this much kissing?" I questioned. "Because I'm sure as hell not used to it."

"Kent—I'm like crazy sexually attracted to you. I'm trying hard not to jump you right here but I want to make sure you're not going to get attached," Caroline admitted. I stopped walking, pulling her to a stop.

"Repeat that first part? It's great for my ego," I laughed. "But I'm not going to get attached. I told you. Casual. Cas-u-al. All for it. I'm used to it. How is it any different with you?"

"Because I can tell these things," she argued. "You're going to get attached."

"Set me up with that other girl," I declared.

"What?"

"Set me up with someone else. I'll prove to you that I can do casual. I'll date around. I'll be a player," I announced, holding out my free arm. Caroline started walking again, staying silent for a few awkward minutes before speaking again.

"Fine. That's perfect proof," she concluded. I grinned and pulled my arm around her shoulder, leaning my head there. "You're ridiculous, though."

"But I'm a great snog," I added. "Look a park. Let us swing."

"Swing?!" she crowed. "I haven't done that in years."

"Then you're thoroughly lacking in growth," I replied, plopping her down and going behind her to grab the chains. I pushed her for a few minutes before she spoke again.

"We should duel," she declared.

"Duel?"

"Yeah, wizard's duel. Ever heard of it?"

"I thought you were a Hufflepuff? Aren't you supposed to be docile," I teased. Caroline tilted her head back and stuck her tongue out at me. "Right—the hat was wrong. You should be a Slytherin."

"That's it," she declared, digging her heels into the ground to stop herself. She leapt up and drew her wand. I looked around myself. It was a dark night and there hadn't been any passerby for a while and the park was surrounded by thick hedge. "Bring it on."

"Alright—I'll duel you, but what do I get when I win?"

"Who says you're going to win?"

"Years of experience saving people's arses," I laughed.

"We'll see about that," she announced, turning around and walking five paces back. "Turn your back on three—two—one!"

Her spell shot out before I was even ready. A _Petrificus Totalus _by the looks of it. I managed to get a shield up but it was weak and shattered on contact.

"_Locomotor wibbly!_"

The jelly-legs jinx just missed, flying past her left ear and making her hair fly up around her face. She jumped to the side and fired another non-verbal spell at me. This time I didn't get the shield up in time and it hit my left shoulder, an _everte statum, _sending my body reeling backwards. I managed to stay on my feet though and fired a shoe sticking spell, hitting her straight in the chest. Her shoes immediately glued to the floor, sending her over backwards and into the grass, her knees sticking up at an odd angle. I jogged over and grinned, only to earn a face full of grass.

"You weren't even trying!" she demanded. I giggled and plopped down next to her, unsticking her shoes in the process.

"Not really," I admitted. She threw grass at me again. I ripped my own handful and flicked my wand at it, sending the shards to tangle in her long hair. "But you looked really hot during battle."

"I'm sure," she snorted.

"No you did, Freckles. Like fiercely hot," I replied earnestly. She rolled her eyes again and reached up, brushing some grass out of my hair. I caught her wrist in my hand, kissing the inside lightly. She sat up now, clearing more grass from my hair. I began to mimic her, pulling blades of grass out of her sandy blonde tresses. Slowly, but surely, our lips connected. I grabbed her round the waist and yanked her down to me, holding her as tight as I could because tomorrow she wasn't going to be mine.

* * *

**James**

* * *

_BANG!_

"Shhh!"

Giggles.

Mores fumbling noises. Suddenly there was a loud and heavy thud on my door.

"Shit," Kent swore.

"Whoops, sorry Potter."  
"Yeah, no problem! Fuck right there—it's okay!" I shouted. Kent swore again.

More giggles. There was a small, weak, slap on the door—presumably Kent's apology for practically shagging Caroline in my doorframe. Then more snogging/moaning noises and finally the door down the hall slammed and I'm assuming the shagging will start momentarily.

See, there may be a bathroom between us but our walls are pretty thin. I could hear everything. And while I was happy that he was finally moving along on the Caroline front it wasn't something I enjoyed listening to. I can't imagine how Kent must've felt all those years with it being his sister down the hall. I suppose we silenced the room often enough but there were the times we forgot.

Thinking of my intimate moments with Kaylie sent a shock through my gut. It was hard thinking about being with her when I was with someone else just a few days ago. I have to admit, with the alcohol in my system I didn't think much about it until the next day. It seemed natural, easy even.

I pulled my pillow over my head, hearing the noised start mixed with a small thud of my idea notebook hit the floor. It was inspiring being up at Hogwarts today. Seeing what was selling and what was being used by the students. I immediately got home and started working stuff out. I guess I was more into then I thought because I didn't stop until I was rudely interrupted by team-horny-for-each-other.

_Wonder Witch_ mirror to talk to your significant other between dormitories.

_Jelly packed pens_ that explode in your face.

Kaylie and her date.

_Ants that Ruin the Picnic _for feasts.

All these thoughts and ideas running through my brain. I couldn't make them stop. How do you contain the ants? Did she kiss him? How do you make it marketable when we already have exploding pens? Do I care if she did? How does the mirror that dad told me about work? How do I move forward like she is? I need a drink.

Easing myself out of bed I padded down towards the kitchen, snorting when I passed Kent's room. The noises clearly stated that they were having a great time. I grabbed a bottle from the pack of Rosemerta's mead that I picked up today and popped the top off the edge of the counter. As the mead funneled down my throat and the small bit of alcohol hit my system I was brought back to the bar.

_ "You've been having a bad night?" she questioned. I blinked at her, my drink nursed between my palms and the alcohol idling my brain. She was talk. Reminded me of Adder. Her dark hair pulled over one shoulder and her lips and eyes painted dark, rich colors. _

_ "What's it to you?"_

_ "I've watched you all night. Strike out after strike out," she laughed. "You alright?" _

_ I drained my drink and jerked a shrug. How does anyone feel after failing so miserably?_

_ "You're fresh out of a relationship, I can tell. Let me buy you a drink," she stated with a small smile. "How long was it?"_

_ "Seven years," I admitted as the tender refilled my drink. "She dumped me."_

_ "Why?"_

_ "Who knows," I slurred. "Who cares? I try to move on. I try to do what Elizabeth told me to do but I just can't get it together. I'm not a stud anymore." _

_ "I don't know about the last part but it's good that you want to move on. Trust me. As for your friend—she was a good wing-woman she just didn't pick the right girls."_

_ "Who's the right girl?" _

_"Me."_

_ "And what makes you the right girl?"_

_ "I like dealing with rebounds. It's easier and emotionless. You're gorgeous and I'm available. What'd you say?"_

_ Wordlessly I downed my drink, grabbed her hand, and pushed open the backdoor that lead to the side alley. _

"James!"

I snapped from my thoughts and dropped the bottle I was holding. Kent gave me a confused look and went to grab for his wand. Unfortunately boxers don't have pockets for more than one wand.

"Where were you?"

"I shagged a girl the other night and I don't even know her name," I blurted out. Kent gave me an alarmed look now and grabbed my wand off the counter to clean up my mess on the floor. "She didn't know mine either. She instigated it."

"Congrats?"

"I don't know. I feel like I should feel guilty. I feel like I should hate myself. But I don't know how I feel."

"Don't fucking feel guilty for one thing," Kent snorted. "She dumped you. She moved on first. You have every right to do the same. She may be my sister. I may not be taking sides but that's one thing you both are allowed to do.

"I would maybe not say you should be shagging chicks in an alley and not getting their name but it's okay to be casual."

"Casual—isn't that what you and Caroline in there are supposed to be?" I declared, raising my eyebrows at my best mate. Kent went over to the fridge and grabbed two waters before turning to me and answering.

"Exactly."

* * *

**There you go. Just don't throw things at me. IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN. But good news is I have every chapter planned out from here on out. We're looking at around a 25 chapter tale so sit back and relax-we're only halfway through. **


End file.
